


Craving

by Elektra Pendragon (elekdragon)



Category: Vampire Diaries - L. J. Smith
Genre: Alternate Ending, Dark Reunion, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-11-03
Updated: 2006-11-03
Packaged: 2017-10-16 00:56:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 28,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/166720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elekdragon/pseuds/Elektra%20Pendragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternate ending to Dark Reunion where Tyler attacks Matt after Bonnie leaves the boarding house.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Craving

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Red (Windiain)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Red+%28Windiain%29).



> Some situations and dialog are the same, but I changed most of the story and events. It takes up the story after page 209 (or after chapter 12, depending on your book). The quote Stefan reads from the book on werewolves is from "Les traductions francaises des Otia imperialia de Gervais de Tilbury par Jean d'Antioche et Jean de Vignay" aka the "Otia Imperialia" by Gervase of Tilbury, English translation by S.E. Banks and J.W. Binns. I'm not sure what translation LJS was using in the book, but the quote is from that same chapter on werewolves. Lots of thanks to spacetart and idolatrie who helped tackle this fic for me. It's a long story, and I greatly appreciate the beta help. Extra love to Red, for whom this story is written.

It wasn't that Matt didn't trust Stefan. Of course he trusted him. Despite everything, the man--the vampire--was still his friend. His best friend. He trusted Stefan to baby-sit his younger siblings. He'd trust Stefan to help defend them from this unknown killer.

So, it wasn't that he didn't trust Stefan to bring Bonnie back home safely. It was just that he wouldn't be able to sleep until he knew for sure everything was okay. He had tried to sleep, of course; he was exhausted and could barely think, let alone walk straight. But thoughts of Bonnie's odd behavior and Tyler's strange transformation kept his mind working. He wouldn't be able to sleep until he was certain that Bonnie was home, and that no one, including Stefan, was hurt.

Matt walked along the dark, deserted road towards the old boarding house. This far out of town, there wasn't even a proper sidewalk--not that there were any cars. The night was warm and silent, and the full moon was high and bright in the distant sky. He could hear his footsteps clearly as he walked on the edge of the street. Not even an owl hooted in the branches overhead.

When Matt heard the growling behind him, his first thought was of Damon and his wolfen form. But Damon was long gone, swearing to never return.

His second thought, as the snarling growls came closer with alarming speed, was an odd memory from a long-ago Boy Scout meeting. He'd been nine, a time when a den master's words were gospel.

/If a strange dog approaches you, and he barks, curl up in a little ball and cover your face with your hands./

Matt didn't have a chance. The weight of the creature hit him full force in the back, sending him sprawling to the ground. His skin split under razor-sharp claws as a hand as large as his head held him down. Teeth sank into the muscle of his thigh and gnawed away a chunk of his flesh as denim shredded and skin tore wetly.

Matt couldn't cry out, couldn't even breathe. Candlelit by the moon, the pavement glowed a grey-black just centimeters from his eyes. A distant, calm part of Matt's brain took note of the sound of his leg being eaten, the liquid-sucking noise, the barely audible snick as teeth clacked together around living muscle. It wasn't like the movies.

The pavement beneath his face became dark and warm and slick.

***

Stefan allowed himself to wallow in guilt as he slowly found his way back home, weaving like a drunk through the thick spring-coated trees. He had done his duty and seen Bonnie to Meredith's home safely, but after seeing Elena... he hadn't been able to even think of sleep. Instead, he had gone out to prowl through the forest, hunting with a kind of desperation he hadn't felt in months. All sorts of small creatures came out at night, silent and suspicious, hard to capture, but oh, so satisfying as his teeth tore into fur. That first rush of pure warmth through his tired body had energized him, drowning out the thoughts, the sights, the memories...

He had covered his sorrows in a blanket of fresh animal blood, taking more than he really needed and leaving the ground riddled with tiny corpses. Again. His loss of control haunted him as he shuffled through the undergrowth on his way back to the boarding house. The guilt was something familiar and oddly comforting, so he welcomed it, cradled it to his chest and gave it what nourishment he could. He had lived with it for centuries, and it was so much easier to deal with simple pain-numbing guilt than the pure agony of watching Elena suffer.

Even in death, she did not know peace. If any soul had earned a chance at rest, it was Elena's. Once again, he had damned someone he loved to the punishments he deserved.

As the trees began to thin around him, Stefan caught a scent that instantly drew his attention. It pulled at his senses, awakening his deadened feelings with new, predatory life. Hunger rolled in his full belly as he tilted his head to search for another sniff of that elusive scent.

Human blood. Someone was bleeding. A lot. It rose up from the wind like a mist, refreshing Stefan's tired mind, making his skin super-sensitive, his thoughts predator-sharp. He did not even have to think about it--he broke into a loose lope through the trees, silent and quick, as he tracked the scent. His mind was concerned; his body was hungry.

The moonlight faded the color of the scene, painting it in blacks and greys, but Stefan could make out the human, barely twitching beneath a hulking dark shape. He scented the wind again, and was rattled by recognition. His teeth were already descended, and Stefan couldn't stop the feral snarl from escaping his mouth.

"Matt!"

The dark, hulking shape lifted its head at the sound, turning halfway around to face Stefan a second before their bodies collided. Thick fur filled his hands as he grappled with the creature, pulling it away from his friend. He could smell blood on the creature's fetid breath. An inhuman howl filled his ears, but whether he or the beast made the sound, Stefan did not care.

Chunks of skin and hair came off in his hands as the creature tore from his grasp, lupine body twisting as claws raked Stefan's arms. He tried to hold on, but it was too wild. It escaped into the forest, its massive paws tearing up the ground behind it.

Stefan snarled after it, but was stopped from pursuing by the sight of his friend. Matt was lying down on his stomach, his lower body dark and gleaming. His clothes were torn into ragged, bloody strips, and there was a large hole in the leg of his jeans. Through it he could see skin, muscle, blood. Bone.

Stefan tore off his t-shirt, rolling it up quickly between his hands as he knelt down beside Matt. He pressed it into the open wound, grimacing at the squelching noise the blood made as it welled up around. Thoughts of a tourniquet entered his mind, but already Stefan could hear Matt's heartbeat slowing. His breathing was nothing more than a shallow ripple of exposed muscle across his back.

"You can't die on me, Matt," Stefan begged. "Not you too. Please, not you too. Stay with me, Matt. Stay..."

Matt moved. His hand clenched on the pavement, and for a moment Stefan thought he'd been heard. But Matt sighed, his hand fell flat, and his heartbeat stilled.

****

It was bright, and, yet, at the same time, it was dark. It was the kind of brightness that blinded. Matt wasn't sure if his eyes were open, not until he blinked and felt the flitter of his lashes and knew he was, in fact, staring into bright blinding light.

"You could go blind like that," a young, familiar feminine voice said.

Matt blinked again, then turned his head. The bright light receded until it was just the sun in the corner of his vision. He had to squint to make out Elena's face. She was leaning against a tree, sipping from a delicate china cup, and he was sitting beside her. The bright springtime sky matched the color of her eyes perfectly. It was the kind of day that seemed to be made just for her.

Matt smiled, and Elena returned it, setting her cup aside. It disappeared into the grass, swallowed by the thick blades.

"Hi, Matt."

"Hi, Elena." There was something pressing in the back of his mind, something important, but Matt couldn't think of it, not under that bright gaze and pretty face. Elena always made Matt forget what he was going to do, unless it involved her.

Elena dimpled, then leaned over into the tall grass to fish out a picnic basket. She flipped up the lid excitedly and withdrew a large bucket of fried chicken. It looked just like it did in the commercials--overflowing with crispy goodness without a hint of the grease that was eating through the bottom of the paper barrel. She thrust a hand into the pile of brown chicken and fished around. "You want a leg?"

The thought made Matt's stomach flip oddly. "Um, no. Thanks."

Elena extracted one from the basket, her eyes nearly glittering with hunger. "You sure? It's good!" Demonstrating, she tore into the thick drumstick, ripping off a large hunk of greasy skin and some threads of the chicken meat inside. The noise made Matt's stomach feel worse, and he bent forward, trying not to gag into the pretty grass.

The something lurking in the back of his mind became a bright stabbing pain.

Elena was there, catching Matt, pulling his head into her lap. She petted his hair, rubbed the back of his neck, and muttered calming noises. He still felt sick, but her touch was soothing, pushing that terrible something back into the shadows.

"We don't have time to eat, anyway," Elena said after a quiet moment. "He's waiting for you."

"Who?" Matt tried to ask, but it came out as a puff of air through his lips.

She heard him all the same, and answered, "You know who."

An image came to Matt's mind, of a man with dark hair and eyes like grass. The last of the sickness passed away with the thought, replaced by a sense of welcome, of comfort, of home.

"He's been waiting for you, for a long time. He just didn't know it. Neither of you did." Elena pulled on the back of Matt's shirt, encouraging him to sit up. He looked her in the face and noticed just how pale she was, even in the sun. "You don't have to go back, though. You can choose to go on without him."

"And stay with you?" Matt asked, his voice eager, though the prospect didn't seem as tempting as it once did. Not with the memory of that other... the one waiting for him.

Elena's pretty blue eyes dipped, and she looked so sad he wanted to take back his question, or his thoughts, or whatever had made her sad. She shook her head, her white-blonde hair tumbling down her face like a veil. "No, not with me. You can go somewhere else. A beautiful place--like this, but better. You'll be safe. And happy. No one can get to you there."

The image of the man came again, this time causing a stab of pain in his chest, and a sense of great longing. With the pain came a name. "But Stefan's waiting..."

Elena smiled, a short, brittle turn of her lips. She brushed Matt's hair out of his face in a way that reminded him of his mother. "Yes, he is. But it won't be easy, Matt. It'll be dark, and difficult. There's so much left that can go wrong. He could still find you..."

Matt wanted Stefan to find him. He didn't know why the thought didn't bring a smile to her face as it did to his. After all, hadn't she loved Stefan too? "Stefan's waiting," Matt said again.

Elena's smile turned sweet, though her eyes remained sad. "Then you should go to him."

Matt stood, then held out a hand to Elena. She remained in the grass, her legs hidden by the thick green carpet. She shook her head.

"But... isn't he waiting for you, too?" Matt asked.

"He is, but he shouldn't. I'm already gone."

"No, you're not. You're right here. I can tell him. Bring him here..." Elena was still shaking her head at him. "What?" he finally asked, annoyed.

"He's waiting for /you/. He needs you. And you're going to need him."

"Why can't we just come here and be with you?"

Elena picked up her teacup, and sipped from it. "Maybe you will, someday. But not now. Not for a long time." Her face grew stern, as it always did when she was determined to get her way. "I don't want to see you here for a very long time, Matthew Honeycutt!"

Matt smiled, even as he felt his heart breaking. He never could deny her anything, no matter how it hurt him. "All right. I promise. But we will be back."

Elena looked over her shoulder, and Matt could see black storm clouds approaching quickly. Already the sun was retreating, the brilliant blue sky growing dim. "Go, now. Before he comes."

Before Matt could protest that if Stefan was coming he should stay, the scene grew very dark. There was a scream, so frightening, so inhuman, that Matt wanted to cover his ears, but he couldn't move his arms...

***

Matt couldn't move his arms.

Or his legs.

Or anything else.

He groaned deeply, but stopped when the noise made his head hurt too much.

"Matt?"

He tried to respond, but his throat ached like he'd been throwing up glass all night. Had he caught the flu? Jack had had the sniffles earlier, but Mom said it was just allergies... Matt whined a little, hoping whoever was in the room would bring him something to drink.

A cool hand patted his cheek. Matt tried to move away from it, but the pillow nearly suffocated him when he did that, so he just lay there, letting the person slap him silly. He whined again piteously, unable to defend himself.

"Come back to me, Matt. Just... keep fighting."

Fighting? Fighting who? Had he been in a fight? Matt felt the darkness of unconsciousness pull on him, making him want to sink back into the nice quiet sleep he'd been so comfortable in.

/He's waiting for you... He needs you./

Matt blinked his eyes. Slowly, darkness became shadows, the shadows became shapes, and finally he was nose-to-nose with his best friend in the whole world, a guy he barely knew.

"Hi," Matt breathed around dry lips. His voice rasped, but Stefan smiled at the sound.

"Hi, Matt. You scared me."

"S'ry." Matt tried to swallow, but there was nothing in his mouth but the taste of dirt. "Th'ss," he rasped.

Stefan must have been gifted with more than just good genes and great reflexes; he could understand several different languages, even those only vaguely human. His face disappeared from Matt's sight for a moment, then returned. He looked vaguely apologetic as he dipped his fingers in the glass. "I don't have a straw, and you shouldn't move..."

Cool wetness coated Matt's cracked lips, and he sighed happily. It didn't matter if the water tasted strongly of iron. It was wet, and Matt carefully licked it off his lips. It took several passes of Stefan's fingers before he had enough to swallow. His throat burned with the water, but felt infinitely better for it. "Th'nksss," Matt said gratefully.

Stefan continued to bathe his lips. "Don't mention it. Just... don't scare me like that again."

When Matt stopped licking Stefan's fingers, the vampire set the glass aside. "Hap'?" Matt asked, his throat still aching.

"You were attacked by..." Stefan shook his head. "I thought you were dead."

"Ne'er," Matt said, trying to smile like he used to, in the days before vampires invaded his hometown.

Stefan barely returned the smile. "You need to rest. No more questions." Stefan lightly touched Matt's lips again, as though testing to make sure they were wet enough. "I'll still be here."

"M'too," Matt assured, before he fell back to sleep.

***

Matt's eyes fluttered closed, the young man already asleep before his lashes touched his cheek. Stefan stood and staggered away from the bed, feeling more exhausted than ever before. He thought that he should change the bandages on Matt's leg, or call the boy's mother, or the girls, or do /something/, but his brain was wrapped in cotton, deadened from shock, preventing him from action.

Matt had not moved when Stefan had carried him upstairs. He did not breathe, his heart no longer beat, his blood had been cool and still. Matt had been dead. His limbs had fallen around his broken body as loose as a marionette when Stefan had eased him out his arms and onto his bed. There had been no life holding the pale and bloodied form together. Stefan had pressed his ear against the ruined back, listened to and mourned the silence.

Matt. Was. Dead.

And then: the smallest tickle of sound in Stefan's ear, the greasy pull of muscles drenched with blood, a stirring of dust against still lips.

Stefan had watched for hours, unable to take his eyes away as skin pinked, wounds wept, lungs filled and refilled with sweet life-giving breath. It had been almost imperceptible at first, but his keen vampire eyes had been able to discern the careful re-knitting of flesh, the slow dance of torn muscle reaching out to its mate, delicate vessels like new branches winding their way with fresh blood for long-stilled limbs. It had been sluggish but steady, much slower than Stefan's own vampiric regeneration but impossibly faster than any human healing.

Matt had been dead. And now... he was something else.

Even as Stefan watched, the deep scratches on Matt's bare back were flattening, shedding thick scales of dried blood, revealing fresh skin pink-smooth and glistening in the dawning light. Stefan didn't need Gervase of Tilbury's advice. He knew. Every supernatural cell in his long-dead body knew.

It was not a good sign.

***

"Hello?"

"Bonnie...?"

"Stefan? I can't hear you. Speak up. What's wrong? Is /he/ back? Who's dead? Oh god, I was having this horrible dream--"

"No! No. No one's dead. No... I need a favor."

"Stefan..."

"No. This isn't about. Her. I need you to call Matt's mother. Tell her that Matt's with you. That you're studying together or something. He won't be coming home tonight."

"What's wrong with Matt?"

"Matt's here. He's... safe."

"Why can't he call her himself?"

"Just, please, Bonnie."

"I'm coming over."

"No."

"Meredith wake up... We're coming over."

"No. Bonnie! Bonnie, listen to me. Matt is okay. He's here with me. We... need some time, alone, to work something out."

"It /is/ about Elena..."

"Bonnie, will you tell Mrs. Honeycutt that Matt will be back... Monday? He's very busy studying. Tell her. Please. Make her understand."

"You're sure he's all right?"

"He's sleeping."

"...okay. I'll call her."

"Thank you."

***

Matt was floating, blissfully warm. He was aware of his body, but only vaguely, just as he was aware of light beyond his eyes, of air slipping over his lips, of a heartbeat clear and slow and so near yet not his own.

Matt came awake slowly, easily. Somewhere, far away, he remembered pain, but he felt good--rested, refreshed, relaxed. It was like getting a deep massage after a bone-pounding game. Water, skin-warm and soothing, lapped at his back. He felt the soft, warm pillow beneath his cheek shift, and then there were sweet raindrops over his shoulders and the gentle scrape of a cloth across his back. Matt hummed his pleasure deep in his throat, his mind still lulled by the restful sleep.

The cloth stopped its circular movements. Cool air caressed his bare skin when it was removed, sending a slight shiver down his spine.

"Matt?"

Matt turned his head, trying to snuggle deeper into his pillow. A hand, wet and slick, grasped his shoulder.

"Matt? Are you awake?"

"No."

"Matt."

Matt knew the voice, the tone. Sometimes, Stefan really reminded Matt of his mother. "Just give me five minutes."

"I would," Stefan said with gentle amusement in every word, "but my arm is starting to fall asleep."

Matt opened his eyes. Pale skin gold-lit by candles filled his vision. He turned his head slightly and followed the long, muscled line of Stefan's arm to his bare chest, then up to his slightly bemused and tired expression. Matt carefully unwound his arms from where they hung over the curved ceramic lip of the deep bathtub, and lifted himself off Stefan's forearm. Water swirled around him, making him feel his total nudity quite plainly.

Stefan stood up next to the tub, revealing that he was still wearing a pair of black jeans. His bare chest sparkled with drops of water and was smudged with darker streaks. Always the gentleman, he turned his face away, giving Matt a little privacy.

"I'm sorry about..." Stefan gestured vaguely around the bathroom, which Matt was just beginning to recognize from the boarding house. "But you weren't... able to clean yourself up. You were a bit of a mess."

Matt reached out blindly for the cloth Stefan had been using. When he looked down at his hand, he found the white hand towel was dark with stains that glittered red and brown in the flickering candlelight. He dropped it into water that was clouded with rust or mud.

His hands slipped a little on the ceramic tub and his arms felt stiff, but it was surprisingly easy to pull himself out of the deep bath. His toes curled instinctively when his feet touched the cool, humid tiles. He wrapped his arms around his body, feeling cold despite the close warmth of the small bathroom.

"Stefan... don't you have a towel?"

Stefan picked up a thick, dark quilt that had been tossed across the sink, then handed it back to Matt without looking. "I used them all last night. Mrs. Flowers is--" Stefan snorted a little, like a cut-off laugh. "She's washing them, now."

Matt slid the warm quilt around his shoulders, wrapping it close around his chest. It covered him to his toes, big and thick and smelling slightly of mothballs. Rusty water slowly pooled around his feet. The blissful rest he was feeling just a few moments before dissipated under the sudden and painful realization that something bad had happened, something that he couldn't remember. Vaguely, images of Vickie Bennett's bedroom flashed through his mind. The same meaty smell that had wafted from the broken window filled Stefan's bathroom.

"Who's dead?"

Stefan turned, a weak and tired smile on his face. "Everyone keeps asking that."

"Because everyone keeps dying." Matt hitched the quilt closer and edged away from the bathtub. He wanted to leave the room immediately, but Stefan was between him and the door. He didn't look back, but twitched his quilt-covered elbow towards the bath. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

"Vickie's dead. Tyler's a werewolf. Damon's gone."

Stefan nodded. "What's the last thing you remember from last night?"

Matt brushed through his memories. "We screwed up. Tyler got away. Bonnie wanted to stay behind to talk to you..." Matt trailed off, then turned a suspicious gaze on Stefan. "Bonnie's okay?"

"Yes."

"Then... I went home and went to bed and woke up naked in your bathtub." But that wasn't right. Another memory tickled his mind, teasing at the corners of his consciousness. The atmosphere shifted in the small room, bringing another cloying draft of blood-humid air to Matt's face. It made him dizzy. "Look, can we talk about this in the other room?" His stomach clenched, like he hadn't eaten in a week. Stefan moved aside, and Matt nearly fell into the door in his eagerness to get out of the room.

The cooler air of the attic room hit his face like a slap. Instantly, he could feel the chill rush over his whole body, his skin pulling tight beneath the thick quilt. Warm, humid air panted against the back of his neck like an animal. He turned to look behind him, expecting to see some dark, hunched shape ready to pounce, but instead he was treated to Stefan thrusting his arm into the bloodied water and pulling the plug.

Matt shuddered, then padded quickly across the bare wood floor to the bed. It was stripped of sheets, with only a thin, too-small coverlet spread out across the bare mattress. He sat gingerly on the edge and pulled himself more deeply into the quilt, trying to get some of the warmth back. His skin still smelled like blood, but he didn't feel injured. He rolled his shoulders, feeling sore muscles twitching. His legs were stiff, but otherwise okay. He was tired. And hungry. But he was okay.

Thoughts of Vickie wouldn't leave his mind. Not just the blood. Not just the way she was slaughtered while her mother watched the nightly news in the cozy living room. Matt thought about how she had been made to do things. She'd stripped off her clothes in full view of the entire school. She'd attacked Tyler with more strength than her fragile body could have ever held.

Stefan's bare feet made soft thumping noises against the floor as he entered the room. Matt could tell in the waning light that he was uninjured. His skin was smooth, glistening with water, and chalk-pale.

"What did they make me do?"

***

Matt's voice was filled with anguish and resignation--that terrible tone he had used just a few days ago, when he had been lost in a fog of confusion and grief. It was the voice of a Matt who believed in the worst things, who had given up.

Stefan would have killed to have never heard that tone again.

"Nothing," Stefan breathed, the word barely passing his lips.

"Don't--don't lie to me, please." Matt reached out to grab Stefan's arm, to keep him close. The blanket fell down his shoulder, showing damp skin bled of all color. "I can handle it. Just tell me." Matt's fingers were digging into his arm with enough force to leave bruises, even on Stefan's immortal skin. It reminded him just how off tilt the universe was now.

Stefan laid his hand over Matt's, carefully prying his fingers loose until the grip was broken. He turned his palm, holding Matt's hand between the two of his for a moment. Tremors ran over his cold, clammy skin. It was sadly amusing that Stefan's hands should be the ones to warm them.

"You didn't hurt anyone," Stefan said slowly, watching Matt's eyes so that he would know if the words were making sense to him. "You were attacked outside the boarding house last night. I think it was Tyler."

"Attacked? But... I'm fine."

"Matt. You were attacked by a werewolf." He stared deep into Matt's eyes, willing him to understand it without making Stefan say the words.

Matt looked back, his face becoming more ashen, until he finally broke away with a terrible, biting laugh. "But it's okay, right? I'm not hurt, and I'm not dead." He glanced at Stefan through his lashes. "I'm not... Elena..."

"No. Her blood was flushed from your system months ago."

Matt seemed somewhat comforted by that, but also more disturbed. "So I'm fine, right?" he asked a little desperately. The blanket slipped further off his shoulders as he shrugged it off, bunching around his waist. He pulled his hand out of Stefan's grasp. Glancing down, Matt traced his fingers across his own chest, following the lines of his ribs and stomach. "I'm just fine. Right?"

"No."

It broke his heart to say it. Stefan reached over, again covering Matt's hand with his own. He pulled it across Matt's chest, reaching past his ribs to his back. Just the tip of a twisted clawed scar touched his fingers. Matt's entire back moved, the new skin, striped with red, shivering at the touch.

"You were attacked by a werewolf, Matt. The blood was yours. The bite--"

Matt stood abruptly, leaving the blanket behind as he walked across the room. He took a few blind steps before something caught his eye. Matt turned and headed towards one of the tall windows, his steps careful. The low-lying sun and the darkness of the forest made it into an almost full-length mirror. He stood, unaware or uncaring of Stefan's scrutiny as he turned, staring over his shoulder at his back. He twisted and stretched, his hand running down his flank, over his red-striped butt and down to his badly scarred thigh. Stefan could not take his eyes off the contrast of his rough hand and the twisted marks meeting smooth new skin. Matt traced them over and over, learning them by touch.

Matt stared grimly at his own reflection, gazing for a long time into his own eyes, searching. Finally he turned, meeting Stefan's gaze.

"You think I could borrow some clothes?"

****

Stefan had left him alone to dress, saying he was going to check on Mrs. Flowers. Matt could already feel the weight of the silence pressing against him in the attic room.

Stefan's t-shirt was too tight across his chest. Matt could feel every fiber of the cloth stretching across his back, itching against the new scars. His hand kept moving back to touch, to scratch, to feel the strange new skin, the thick marks that he was afraid would show through the thin cloth. They hurt a little, or so he thought. Perhaps it was just his awareness of them, the fact that they /should/ hurt, that he should be...

He was going to go insane if he kept thinking about what should and shouldn't be. There shouldn't be vampires in the world. Vickie shouldn't be dead. Matt turned away from the window, looking for anything to distract him. The thick book Stefan had taken from the library was sitting half-opened on the dresser.

Matt's eyes scanned the pages automatically. /Hic uagus factus et profugus.../ Everyone could read Latin if they tried hard enough. Even in this modern age, it was used far too frequently to be left completely a mystery. His mouth tried forming the words.

"'One night when he was wandering alone like a wild beast through unfrequented woodlands, deranged by extreme fear,'" Stefan's voice was almost musical as he spoke near Matt's ear, leaning close over the page, "'he lost his reason and turned into a wolf. He then wreaked such great havoc upon his country that he drove many of the inhabitants to abandon their homes. While in wolf's form he devoured the young, and even mangled the old with savage bites.'"

Stefan's breath huffed against Matt's ear as he reached around him. "The English translation is in the back..."

Matt stopped him, batting Stefan's hand away as he turned to face him. He could feel his eyes burning, his scars itching. "I don't care. I just want to know, is that going to happen to me?"

"I don't know."

"You've been alive hundreds of years, Stefan. In all that time... haven't you ever come across a--" He couldn't say the word, not yet.

"A werewolf? Before Tyler, no."

"So all you know about this stuff, you got from this book?"

"Matt--"

"I just want to know what's going to happen to me."

"I don't know. This book is older than I, and it doesn't have all the answers. Just a few pages, a few guesses from the local folklore."

"So you don't know either." Matt moved away from him, disturbed by the closeness of their bodies, the way a strong blood-scent seemed to fill the air when Stefan moved. "Maybe nothing will happen. Maybe I'll perfectly fine, like before I met--" The word 'you' stuck in his throat; he wasn't yet angry enough to hurt Stefan like that.

Before Matt could get too far, Stefan reached out and grabbed his arm, turning him around until he had to face him again. "Matt, you're not going to be fine. Something will happen. You've changed."

Matt tried to shrug him off, turning away. "I don't--"

"I watched you die."

His breaking tone was enough to quiet Matt down and make him listen. Stefan's eyes were glittering when Matt glanced back at him. "You didn't have a heartbeat. You didn't breathe. And then, you did. I watched as your skin knitted together before my eyes. Human skin doesn't do that. You've /changed,/ Matt." Stefan let go of Matt's arm to touch his shoulder, but he stopped when Matt shrank back from the touch. His hand hovered a moment before it fell back. "I can feel it. You're different."

"I need to know what's going to happen to me, Stefan. I can't... I don't want to hurt anyone."

"You won't."

"How can you know that?"

"You're a good man, Matt. I have to believe that counts for something." Stefan's eyes slid away from Matt's face, to look over his shoulder. It was subtle, but his expression changed.

Feeling a warning tickle on the back of his neck, Matt twisted to look behind him. The shadows had disappeared from the forest outside, bleeding into the night. The last glimmer of light clung like gold gilt to the tops of the trees, brightening the few clouds that wisped overhead. Already in the East, there was a new kind of light. Matt felt a twinge of fear in his stomach.

A soft sigh escaped the vampire's lips, loud in the sudden silence. "No matter what, I'll keep you safe."

Matt shrugged his way past Stefan, unable to stare out at the rising light any longer. He stalked towards the door to the stairs, only to find it locked. He rattled the doorknob a little, but didn't bother with any further violence. He shot a glare at Stefan as he turned and paced towards the bathroom, but the lingering smell of his own blood, old and humid, repelled him.

"Matt..."

Matt turned away, stalking quickly past Stefan, looking away from the East windows. He kept his gaze on the floorboards, tracing the lines with his eyes as paced, unable to stay still and wait for whatever was going to happen. It was worse than pre-game jitters--at least then he had the goal of the game, the feel of exertion to distract him from thoughts of failure. He stopped to press a palm to a West-facing window, testing the lock as his eyes traced the shadows.

On nights of the full moon, Matt had learned in some science class, the sun set and the moon rose at almost exactly the same time.

Matt pressed his forehead to the window, feeling hot compared to the coolness of the glass. Three nights of a full moon--one already gone, two more to endure. When would he know?

"Matt?"

Stefan's voice was soft but commanding--he might have been saying Matt's name for a while. He turned slowly to find Stefan carefully stepping towards him, his hands held out in the universal "no harm" gesture. "Calm down. It's okay."

Matt suddenly became aware he was panting, almost hyperventilating. He leaned back against the window, the cold a shock against his scars. He moaned a little, but the noise was strange--deep, like he had a sore throat, but with a pitiful whine to it. Like a hurt dog.

Matt slid to the floor. The itching that had been subtly gathering around his scars spread through his skin, making everything feel too tight and very, very wrong. He let out another moan, low and deep, and then the real pain began.

***

When Tyler had changed, it had been different. He had been born with the ability to become a wolf. The change had come on naturally, as easily as one would smile. His body had settled easily into a half-wolf/half-human state by instinct.

It had been strange for Stefan to watch it then, the slow progression and melding of forms compared to the rapid and complete change that vampires could perform. It was /painful/ now to watch his best friend locked in screams that could not escape his throat as his body slowly remade itself.

Matt's nails scrabbled at his chest, shredding cloth and drawing blood as they curled into thick claws. The shirt fell in tatters to the floor. He bent forward, curling over his stomach as his body jerked and shifted. Matt's muscle mass seemed to grow and stretch, becoming powerful yet sleek--predatory. The fur was subtle at first, light blond like his hair until it grew in such abandon that it covered his skin in a grey-gold pelt.

Stefan was trapped between wanting to help him somehow, and turning away. There was nothing he could do, but he had told Matt he would keep him safe. Pinned by his own helplessness, Stefan was forced to simply watch the slow progression, feeling a sympathetic ache down in his own bones.

From somewhere in his subconscious, words of comfort came to Stefan's lips, a whispering song in his native language that soothed children. He wasn't sure where he had learned it--perhaps from a nurse or a tutor during his own childhood--but he could still recall the tune. He whispered it softly, the repetitive rhythm settling his own heart.

A grey-furred muzzle turned up from the floor, and oddly dilated eyes met his own. The werewolf gave out a whine of distress, but seemed to settle under the softly sung words, body still shivering and shifting but the pain subsiding.

Stefan was drawn in by those eyes, still familiar in a strange way. He crouched down beside Matt, reaching out for him. Matt shied into the meeting of wall and floor with a scrabble of claws, but Stefan wasn't deterred. He could see sharp ribs settling under thick fur as his breathing returned to something not quite normal but certainly not as pained.

"It's okay, Matt," Stefan assured him. His hand rested lightly on his shoulder, feeling the strength of the new limb beneath warm hair. Almost in spite of himself, he petted Matt, just a little.

With a tired huff, the werewolf settled his head on the floor, long muzzle stretched out until his nose almost brushed Stefan's leg. Then the animal eyes closed, and Matt fell asleep.

****

For the second time in as many days, Matt woke up mostly naked and far too close to his best friend. He could feel rough denim under his cheek leaving its imprint. At the end of his vision, pale white toes curled and wiggled a little.

Matt lingered on the edge of wakefulness, trying to put his memory of the night before back together. This was getting to be quite tiresome; every time he closed his eyes, he seemed to lose a little bit of himself. He shuddered to remember the pain of transformation, his joints still aching with the echoes.

He's a werewolf.

His best friend's a vampire. Elena's dead. And he's a werewolf.

His stomach churned alarmingly. Matt elbowed Stefan hard as he pushed himself up and away. Stefan's bark of pain followed him to the bathroom. The scent of blood was still there, sour and subtle, and it made his nausea worse. He bent over the toilet as the tiles bit into his bare knees, but there was nothing in his stomach to throw up. It was a small comfort to know that he hadn't eaten anyone the night before. A very small comfort.

Matt's body eventually settled, leaving him aching and exhausted. He wasn't aware that Stefan had followed him until a blanket settled over his shoulders. Matt wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and pulled the blanket close without getting up. "Sorry," he rasped, his throat raw and tender.

"It's not like I was planning on having any children."

It took Matt a few moments before he figured out that Stefan was trying to make a joke. His chuckle came out more like a broken cough. Sometimes he forgot just how weirdly normal Stefan could be in the strangest situations.

A glass of water appeared in his sightline. Matt reached up to take it, squeezing Stefan's fingers a moment before he was sure he could hold it. He darted a glance at Stefan's eyes, feeling relieved to find him as unharmed as ever. "Thanks."

Stefan nodded and then stepped out of the room, giving Matt some time to find whatever peace he could in the small, dim-lit room.

***

Matt seemed sure on his feet when he stepped out into the room proper. The early morning light revealed a few light scratches on his cheek almost healed, and otherwise he looked untouched by the previous nights' events. At least on the outside.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sore," he rasped, his voice still sounding a little raw. Matt glanced around the room, his eyes lingering on the windows, the door, the golden glow of the rising sun. He took a few steps, then settled on the bed. After a moment, he laid on his side, stretching out across the mattress with a sigh. "Very sore." He rested for a moment, before wiggling around to face Stefan. His hair was poking out in fluffy spikes, his face pale where it peeked out from behind the blanket. "What happened?"

"You, ah, changed into a wolf, and then you passed out."

"Passed out?"

Stefan nodded. Even after sleeping the entire day before, Matt's transformation had left Stefan with a lapful of werewolf all night long. He had been so quiet that eventually Stefan had fallen asleep propped up against the wall--at least until Matt woke him up with an elbow to the crotch.

"What day is it?"

Stefan had to pause to think about it. "Monday. Still early."

Matt sat up suddenly, making the blanket fall off his chest. "Shit! My mom! Finals!" His legs got caught up in the fabric, making it hard for him to stand and giving Stefan a good look at how well the scars had healed.

"Your mom knows you were going to be out last night."

Matt stopped trying to pry his legs from the blanket to stare back at Stefan. "You called my mom?"

Stefan could feel a rise of blood to his face, however slight. "No. Bonnie did."

Matt's face, on the other hand, blanched. "Bonnie knows?"

"I didn't tell her anything. Just... that we had to work on something together. And that you were all right. I didn't want anyone to worry." Stefan bowed his head, almost muttering the last into his chest. "I didn't know when you'd wake up."

When Stefan looked up, Matt was looking down at the blanket. His hands smoothed over the old fabric. "Thank you," he said finally, quietly.

"You're welcome," Stefan answered awkwardly, unsure of how to put his real thoughts into words.

/'It's the least I could do.' /

/'It's all my fault.' /

/'I'd save you if I could.' /

/'I'd do anything to keep you from this forever.'/

"I have another shirt you can borrow."

****

It wasn't normal for a high school to have their senior finals the week after graduation. At least half the tests were skipped, if the teachers even bothered to make an effort to have proper finals. Matt slid into his desk carefully, just before the late bell rang for the first test period. He still felt sore, and his stomach was a little upset by the strange oatmeal that Mrs. Flowers had left for him next to a little paper cup of grape juice.

She was strange. The school was strange. The whole crazy town was strange.

Matt stared down at the sheet of paper that the teacher set in front of him. It was ten multiple choice questions, a complete joke of a test, but he was distracted. The thought kept running through his head: I'm a werewolf. I'm a werewolf. I'm a real goddamn werewolf.

It took him nearly the entire test period to complete the easy test; even when the other students were gone, he was still drawing circles on the paper everywhere but on the answers. Finally, he just randomly selected letters and handed it in. What was the worse they could do? Hunt him down with torches, shoot him with a silver bullet and pry his diploma out of his cold, dead hand?

It was a great effort for Matt to find his way to his next final.

***

Bonnie finally hunted Matt down during lunch. Matt was staring at a vending machine, too afraid to try anything that would come out of the school cafeteria. She appeared at his side suddenly, leaning against him to hiss, "Did you get things straight with St--/him/?"

Matt stared at her a moment, his throat choking on the words, 'I'm a werewolf.' He could feel his new skin crawl with fear at the possible revelation. He bit his tongue and nodded, then looked around as though someone might be watching.

Bonnie's mouth opened in an 'o', then she looked around in a glance and nodded solemnly, like an inept spy. She said she'd meet him at "you-know-where" to talk about it with "you-know-who" after school wink-wink, then headed off into the crowd.

Matt gave up on the vending machine, and settled for a soda and a seat behind an atlas in the library.

At least she didn't mention his clothes.

****

"Matt, tell him he can't leave."

Bonnie had barely waited for everyone to settle on familiar hay bales to begin speaking. She glared at Stefan and tried to look far tougher than her stature would usually allow.

Matt shrugged, looked at Stefan, and said gamely, "You can't leave."

"I'm trying to be serious here," Bonnie huffed. "I know what you said, Stefan, and I know it might be our only way, but I feel--there's something more. Something I'm missing." Her gaze grew distant as she stared at Stefan's t-shirt. The plain black weave didn't reveal any answers to her, however, and she frowned at it. "There's another answer."

Matt only half-understood what she was talking about. Despite spending nearly every moment of his graduation weekend with Stefan, they hadn't really had much time to talk about anything but the attack. Stefan had said something about leaving, but Matt didn't take it seriously. Leave? Now? Stefan wasn't one to give up so easily. But Matt still felt raw and open. He didn't want to bring attention to himself, especially with a topic that'd just bring more questions about what he and Stefan had been doing over the past couple of days, and why he was wearing Stefan's clothes.

He folded his arms across his chest delicately, and sighed. "We're open to suggestions."

Meredith's eyes went from Stefan to Matt and back again, her gaze sharp enough to make Matt wish he'd gone home to face his mother's wrath rather than come to this meeting. "Did you two come up with anything over the weekend?"

Matt opened his mouth, but closed it when he felt the nearly hysterical urge to shout, 'I'm a werewolf,' returned. He looked to Stefan, communicating with a glance.

"We were working on a way to protect you--all of you," he quickly added as Meredith's eyes flared. "The whole town, if I have to leave. Tyler is as big a threat now as Klaus."

"What did you come up with? Silver bullets?"

Again, Matt met Stefan's eyes, communicating with a subtle shake of his head. /They don't know./

Stefan shrugged, a strangely inelegant and American gesture for the vampire. "We're still working on it. I don't want to leave you unprotected, but we need all the help we can get. Elena... suffered to give us what little she could."

Matt straightened at the mention of Elena's name, and he had to again fight down the urge to ask.

"I still don't understand how you two can share a vision, and suddenly Stefan has to run off to Europe to chase after ancient vampires that might not even exist."

"I told you, it wasn't a vision. We were /there/. With /Elena/. In... some other place." Bonnie's voice was getting louder and more threatening, sounding nearly like Meredith at her most furious. It was obviously an argument they had been having for a while, that much Matt could understand.

Some other place, with Elena? A summer-bright sky and the smell of chicken rose to Matt's mind, like a memory but sharp and real and there.

/He needs you./

Matt shook his head, pushing aside the thoughts that tried to pull at him, concentrating on the conversation.

"Okay, so it was real."

"It was more than that, it was--"

"It was the information we needed," Stefan interrupted. "A hint on how to fight Klaus. We need to find a surviving victim--a vampire he's made who can tell us what can hurt him."

Meredith sucked in a breath to speak, then let it out. Her eyes were darkened by deep bruises from sleep-deprivation, and when her shoulders slumped, he could see the last of her energy draining out of her. "If Klaus has been around as long as he says he has--if he's an original vampire, someone who is completely immortal--what can hurt him?"

In Matt's mind, he could see Tyler stuttering on the ground, mumbling something about wood that could hurt the ancient vampire. His skin shivered at the memory of what happened later that night, and a dull ache spread through his chest as he just as quickly saw on image of himself looking exactly as Tyler had when he attacked Meredith.

/I'm a werewolf./

Matt concentrated on the discussion to block the memory of that evening.

Bonnie was shrugging, a move not quite as graceful as Stefan's, but just as defeated. "We have to try, Meredith."

"Which brings us back to the beginning. I'll leave on Saturday. There has to be a vampire left somewhere in Europe that Klaus made. Katherine was not his first, nor his last. The longer I wait, the more danger there is to everyone."

"How will you know a vampire is one of his?" Meredith asked.

"He'll know," Matt answered, his certainty unwavering.

Meredith turned her dark eyes on the boys once again. "You two already have it all figured out," she said, her voice tired. "Matt the protector, Stefan the gallant knight. Elena the princess in the tower."

"Meredith--"

"No, Bonnie, it's okay. I'm just tired. Too many late nights. I need to study. Do you want a ride?"

Bonnie looked to Stefan for something, but was disappointed. She nodded and waved sadly at Matt before following Meredith to the car.

Matt stayed behind, playing with the change in his pocket as he stared at a mouse crawling away from the barn. "That went well. You're going to have to explain this all to me sometime. Perhaps before you leave?"

Stefan rubbed at his eyes, another oddly human gesture. For the first time, Matt noticed just how fragile his immortal friend appeared. While Matt personally knew of the strength in that lithe body, Stefan looked like the wind was the only thing holding him upright. The past few nights--weeks, months even--had drained the vampire of the vitality and determination Matt remembered Stefan having back when they played football. Back when they were just two boys in high school.

Though Stefan hadn't been human in a long time, he looked pitifully mortal.

"There wasn't time to explain it all. There still isn't. I... talked to Elena. It wasn't a dream, exactly. A vision... something. Maybe it was a dream. But I talked to her, Matt. I held her." Stefan looked far too young for his old, sad eyes. He gasped in a shuddering breath, steeling himself. "Her spirit is trapped by the same monster who killed Sue and Vickie--the one who started it all. He was the one who made Katherine a vampire. An ancient vampire named Klaus."

Matt opened his mouth, but Stefan deflected his questions with a pained glance. There was never enough time. "Elena suffered so much to tell me that if we found a surviving victim, we could find out how to defeat him. I can't let her down. You understand."

Matt nodded his head, feeling a strange sort of certainty down to his bones. It didn't matter how crazy, off the wall or harebrained the idea was, no one ever turned down Elena--especially when she was in trouble. "So you have to go and find one."

Stefan nodded. "A vampire that Klaus made might have seen into his mind. They might know of some secret we can't find. I have to take the chance."

"Bonnie isn't happy about it."

"No, she isn't." Stefan glanced at Matt with a slight curve on his lip, his eyes lightening up just a little.

He ignored what Stefan was implying. There wasn't time to think about things like that. Not now. Maybe not ever. Matt sketched a pattern in the ground with his toe, absently grateful that Stefan had been able to clean his shoes of blood. They were the only pair he had.

"When are you going to tell them?" Stefan finally asked.

Matt shrugged off the question, turning his attention back to his friend. "The moon is still full. I can feel it." He hadn't quite realized it until he said the words, but he /could/ feel it, like a tidal pull on his body, dragging everything to the surface.

"You can stay here, again--"

"I can't. My mom... She's already worried. Furious." His ears were still ringing from the phone call he had made this morning, just to tell her he was alright. He didn't mind the tongue-lashing, or the fight he was going to face tonight. He looked forward to that little bit of normalcy. "I can't have her finding out about what's going on. Not yet. It's too much for her."

Stefan had things to say, Matt could tell, but he held them back. Things were different between them now--or maybe now they were just more alike. They were both creatures that were once human, but no longer. Terrible monsters of myth.

"If anything starts to happen, I'll leave. I've snuck out before. Not even the kids will hear." Matt shrugged again, faking more confidence than he felt. "Maybe it's only a once-a-month thing, instead of every night. Like the movies."

Stefan nodded, but remained silent. He looked up at the sky, stretching towards it as he breathed in expansively. When he dropped his head, he seemed resolute. "Be careful."

"I will."

****

That night, Stefan clung to the shadows in the tree across from Matt's bedroom. He had a clear view past the curtains. Matt's feet hung off the edge of his bed, bouncing in rhythms that changed every 3-5 minutes. If he strained his hearing, Stefan might have been able to pick up the music Matt was listening to, but he respected his privacy that much.

The moon was low in the sky, huge and threatening, but not even his enhanced eyesight could pick up signs of a change in Matt's body. He waited an hour, then two, watching the nervous twitching of his feet, but the werewolf never showed up.

Stefan didn't leave until he saw the curtain twitch aside, and a white face look out with dread at the large moon peering back through the clouds. Matt would be safe for the night.

Stefan had to plan a defense.

***

Tuesday after school, Stefan led Matt through the forest, deep enough that Matt worried he'd never be able to find his way back without him. Thick branches loaded with late spring leaves dimmed what light filtered through, making it feel much later in the day than it really was. They walked silently until they were in a small clearing, a soft patch of grass amidst the thick stand of trees.

"Why are we here?" Matt asked Stefan's back when they finally stopped walking.

"To practice."

"Yeah, that's what you said. Practice what? Football season is over."

"You don't have to do anything," Stefan softly directed towards the ground. "It's been a while since I've fully used my Powers. I'm not as strong as Klaus, but we need every advantage we have to defeat him."

"So, why am I here?"

Stefan finally turned around to face Matt, his green eyes as dark as the grass beneath their feet. "To watch. To learn. We don't know what your gifts are, or how you can use them, but when I'm gone, you'll be all the town has to protect them." He turned his face to the sky, letting the dappled light settle over his face. "You don't /have/ to do anything."

Something changed in Stefan's bearing. The air became electric around him, as though it were gathering and folding invisibly around his body. The small hairs on Matt's body rose and shivered. His every sense went two degrees to the left, skewed and confused just enough to let him know there was something different--something WRONG--with Stefan.

Stefan wasn't human.

It was easy to forget that when you saw him every day, sitting quietly among mortals, talking, sometimes even laughing. He could blend into a crowd. Beautiful, distant, but nothing more than just another guy.

But now, without those invisible barriers that held back his Power, Stefan was... something more.

/How could I ever have thought he was just a normal guy?/

Matt staggered back to the edge of the clearing, watching as Stefan slowly moved. The immense power in his body was clearly evident; every controlled tick of his arm or shifting of his legs showed that he was capable of great power and grace. This was Stefan without barriers. This was the creature within.

There was a shimmer of color, a sense of movement, and Stefan was gone.

Matt blinked, then he started to scout the clearing for signs of his friend. He caught sight of the sleeve of a black t-shirt next to a tree before it disappeared. A white arm holding on to a branch high above Matt's head. A blur of shadow across a spot of sunlight.

Stefan may not be as strong as Klaus, but he was far more powerful than a human could even imagine.

Matt squinted his eyes, trying to follow the fast movements. It was impossible at first, frustrating him, until... Something inside his mind clicked on, like that point in a game when he's completely /there/--where every movement is pure instinct, where he can track a wide receiver through a tumble of bodies and hit the target dead on. Focus. Attack.

The world turned grey.

It was as though he could see several things all at once. Stefan in a crouch by a tree, Stefan taking several steps forward, Stefan's muscles coiling and then Stefan almost flying into the high branches, landing in the y-shaped curve of the upper trunk.

Instinct propelled Matt forward. He was at the tree before he even saw it, his fingers digging deep into the wood. After a few feet he could feel his nails catching the bark, the pull on his bones as he used the leverage to propel himself up the trunk. His feet scrabbled for purchase beneath him until his toes tore through the worn soles.

An inhuman sound rose up around him, like a dog baying. It spurred him on until he caught sight of Stefan. He jumped the last few feet, flying up and across the branches until he landed perfectly on the curving branch in front of Stefan. His toes dug into the bark as he leaned forward, fingers sinking centimeters into the tree on either side of Stefan's head. He had him trapped.

Matt pushed his face into Stefan's, snarling even as the vampire's lips drew back to reveal long, sharp cat-like teeth. Stefan growled back, his own hands coming up to wrap around Matt's wrists. He could feel the coolness of Stefan's breath against his face, smell the strange scents of his clothes, see the barest rim of light-grey iris around pupils wide and black.

Then, as if a veil had been lifted from his face, Matt's thoughts cleared. This was no squirrel-prey he was threatening, but his friend. Stefan, too, seemed to realize the strangeness of their position. His hands fell away from Matt's wrists, and he hid his fangs behind his lips.

Matt could feel the difference in his body. The change had come naturally this time, without pain. He could see the way his hands were twisted, the tendons sticking out like thick cords as he worked to release his death-grip on the bark. His mouth felt too full, too sharp, and the growl from his throat was too thick.

With a sharp yank, Matt removed his claws from the tree. He pushed himself out of the branches. The ground came rushing up towards him, but he caught himself on hands and feet, crouching and rushing forward with the momentum. He ran to the edge of the clearing before he stopped, panting, against a tree.

"It's not supposed to be like this. It's not supposed to be this easy. It's not right."

"My tutor used to say that evil is always easy."

Matt turned around, forcing his mouth closed. He could feel the still-sharp teeth biting into his lips, but slowly things were returning to normal. When he looked into Stefan's face, he could see the green of his eyes, the pink of his lips. "So, I'm evil."

Stefan looked pained for a moment. "No, you're not." He reached out, taking Matt's hand to hold it in front of his face. It was only then that Matt realized he was bleeding from a dozen small cuts covering his fingers. Even as he watched, the blood stopped flowing, the tiny wounds stinging as they closed. "You're not evil," Stefan said, staring at Matt's face until their eyes met. "And this is not easy."

Finally, Matt nodded, resolute. "Teach me, then?"

Stefan let Matt's hand drop, but he clasped his shoulder a moment in companionship. "Can you run?" He smiled briefly, a flash of brilliance and comfort.

Matt fought his own smile, still feeling the discomfort of too-long teeth. "Yes."

"Can you catch?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"Good. Then try to catch me."

In a flutter of black, Stefan disappeared. The world turned grey, and Matt followed.

***

The rest of the week went by quickly. During the day, Matt muddled his way through tests, grateful for the little bit of normalcy to cling to. In the afternoons, he practiced with Stefan, learning some of his own limits and powers even in human form. Enhanced senses, strength--by Friday, he could almost go head to head with Stefan.

His mom, though suspicious at first, thought he was studying, even when he'd never been much for heavy books before. Perhaps she saw it as a sign he might take that scholarship after all. Maybe she thought he was dating Bonnie. Matt let her believe as much as she wanted, because it made her happy to think he was making plans for his future. Truth was, it was hard to think of a future when he was a werewolf with a psycho vampire after him.

Matt enjoyed the practice time with Stefan because he didn't have to think, but as the days quickly ran out, Matt became less and less confident in what they were doing. It didn't feel right. He didn't want Stefan to leave.

On Friday afternoon, instead of hanging with the football team in one last post-final party, Matt and Stefan were practicing basic methods of weapons fighting, with Stefan delivering stern correction to Matt's stance and guard while they held long, thick sticks. Matt was glad that he hadn't grown up in Renaissance Florence. He was already exasperated, aching, and wanting to shove the stick somewhere Stefan wouldn't appreciate. He would have made a terrible squire.

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?" he asked, feeling a little bit breathless.

"I think the girls wanted to talk before leaving. So, late morning."

Matt jabbed the stick at Stefan's chest, only to get whacked on the hand. "Ow!" Matt shook his hand, dancing a little with the quick, sharp pain.

"Don't let him get too close to you. He's older and stronger. He'll take any opportunity to strike that he can."

"I can't fight Klaus. I'm not strong enough."

"You don't have to fight him. That's for me."

"Then what are we doing this for?"

"You should be prepared for anything."

"You're just leaving us to fend for ourselves against an ancient and powerful monster, while you run around in Europe looking for a vampire--how can I be prepared for that?"

"He doesn't want you."

"Yes, he does." Matt dropped his guard, setting one end of the stick in the ground as he leaned on it, still shaking the pain out of his other hand. "He wants all of us--the whole town. I won't be able to fend him off with fangs and a stick, Stefan. This is ridiculous."

"None of us will be able to defeat him if we can't find an edge."

Matt could feel the itch under his skin as he grew more angry, his voice dropping as he stalked up to Stefan. He got into his face, throat aching as his voice dropped and his words became guttural and sharp. "None of us will be alive to use that edge if you leave."

"We're not having this argument again, Matt. Elena said I had to go--she said it was the only way to defeat Klaus."

"Elena is dead. How do we know that dream-vision-whatever wasn't all an elaborate trick for Klaus's amusement? It might not have even been her." He growled, inching closer. "Maybe you just heard what you wanted to hear so you wouldn't feel guilty for abandoning us."

Stefan's eyes narrowed for a moment, and Matt could see the bunching of his muscles under his shirt. For a moment, Matt thought that Stefan was going to hit him, but instead he turned and stalked off quickly towards the trees.

Matt could feel the wolf instincts bubbling near the surface, wanting to attack, wanting to force Stefan to submit. Everything pushed him to go after Stefan, so much that he was left shaking. A low and dangerous growl escaped his throat against his will. Stefan stopped, but he didn't turn around.

"Don't run," Matt said softly to Stefan's back. "I can't control myself if you run."

Stefan stiffened, but he continued walking at a slower pace. Matt watched him until he was out of sight, then he let the wolf take over, running in the opposite direction.

***

Unlike Stefan, Matt didn't need to eat animals for sustenance. He found that he had a large appetite for meat--the less-cooked the better--but hunting wasn't necessary. He had learned, however, that tracking small game was a good way to sharpen one's Powers. He also needed something to help him relax, to work off the frustration and anger and fear that Stefan's leaving had left with him.

Matt was getting stronger, but he still couldn't control the wolf inside. When he was angry, he wanted to dominate. When he was threatened, he wanted to attack. He had known that it would take longer than a few days to find a way to deal with these feelings, but he didn't know if he had much longer. Letting the wolf out, even a little bit, was a welcome relief from the constant tension he felt inside.

Matt started stalking a rabbit through the forest, first by smell and then by sight. His grey vision focused on the small furry body, instinct calculating speed and trajectory to make the perfect hit. Matt practiced silence, to see how far he could follow the rabbit before it realized that a large predator was near.

The white tail twittered, then suddenly stood up.

He'd been spotted.

Matt's body coiled, eagerly getting ready for the chase. The claws on his toes tore through the duct tape he used to repair his old shoes, giving him the right amount of traction for speed. He didn't want to kill the rabbit, but he couldn't resist the urge to chase. He was about to spring into action when a second creature dropped into the clearing and snatched the rabbit. Growling, Matt pounced.

He collided solidly with the dark form, knocking it flat to the ground. The little rabbit skittered away, safe as the two predators grappled in the leaves. Matt was only partially transformed, but he could feel the extra energy it gave his limbs, allowing him to gain an edge and pin the shadow to the ground. He sat on its chest and growled heavily into its face.

Stefan blinked up at him, his struggles ceasing almost immediately.

"I told you not to run."

"I wasn't running. I was hunting."

Matt snuffled against his neck, catching the scent of the forest mixed with Power and hunger. "So was I."

"Matt--"

"Just... let me," Matt asked, his humanity rising just a little at Stefan's distress. After spending so much time in the other skin, it was difficult to switch back. Sometimes Matt worried that if he allowed himself to completely change as he had that first night, he'd never be able to switch back. He'd live his life as a monster in the forest, hunting his prey until someone hunted him.

He snuffled and licked and checked Stefan, and slowly the wolf receded, calmed by the proximity of the familiar. Once he had control, he let go of Stefan's wrists and scrambled off his body.

"I'm sorry. It's..."

"The wolf."

Matt blushed, and turned away. He'd just licked his best friend. He could still taste salt against his tongue. That wasn't something normal guys did. But then, he wasn't exactly normal anymore.

Stefan didn't seem too bothered about it. He stood up smoothly, gallantly offering to help Matt to his feet before brushing himself off. His gaze ghosted about, perhaps searching for the lost rabbit. When his eyes reached Matt's, he didn't seem upset anymore. "I understand. It's..." He seemed lost for a moment before he returned to the present. "It's hard to adjust, when you let yourself run free. My brother would say that it's a good thing."

"What would you say?" Matt asked gruffly, tired of Stefan hiding behind other people's words.

Stefan leaned towards Matt for a moment, sniffing lightly against his collar before giving a friendly lick. Matt jerked, but didn't step back. "I would say that I'm sorry for leaving earlier."

"Apology accepted."

"I'd also say that you should take the change out of your pocket before you hunt. I could track you from across the forest."

*****

His mother wasn't too happy with the grass stains on his jeans, but since Matt had managed to drag his tired body home a little after sundown, she was willing to forgive him. Apparently, the football team was having one of their classic parties that the police were already breaking up. She seemed distracted, so he took the opportunity to avoid more questions and grabbed a slice of meatloaf from the table before retreating to the bedroom. He managed a few overdone bites before he gave up and tossed the rest of it out of his window. It was a shameful waste of good beef.

If Stefan was going to kick his ass that hard, the least he could have done was get him a nice steak.

Matt started salivating at the thought of a thick cut steak, warm and seeping dark red juice. His stomach growled. The steak changed into a skittering rabbit in his mind, and without a conscious thought, his fangs began to descend.

If only Stefan hadn't stopped him in the woods...

Matt gripped his stomach, suddenly feeling a little sick at the thought. He swallowed a few times, concentrating on the nausea, and tried not to think. He hadn't wanted to kill that rabbit, not at first. But the moment when the wolf had taken over, he had wanted to feel its fur in his teeth, its blood in his throat.

The bedsprings creaked comfortingly as he stretched out across the blankets, filling his nose with familiar self-scents. He threw his arm across his eyes, blocking out the memory of the exhilaration and joy he'd felt when he was ready to kill the rabbit. He breathed in deeply. Over the fresh stench of the meatloaf, his own skin still carried the grass-wood smell of Stefan from their earlier wrestling.

Like a switch, his mind moved from the exhilaration of an expected kill, to the feel of his best friend pinned beneath his body, the wolfish joy at dominating his pack member, then re-establishing their pack-bond through scent and taste.

Matt threw his arm back down on the bed, where it bounced on the mattress, spreading small, invisible scent-marks of Stefan across his comforter. He could smell it, like a virus taking over. The disturbing thing wasn't that it was alien and threatening, but that it was far too familiar.

There was too much to deal with right now without thinking of Stefan. He was leaving tomorrow, and nothing could change that--Matt had certainly tried. Right or wrong, he was going to be gone. Matt would have to watch over the girls and the town while they waited for him to return, hoping that Klaus wouldn't strike.

Pushing his tired body into motion, Matt climbed off the bed and shuffled down the hall, determined to take a shower before falling asleep. He also made a mental note to strip the comforter off the bed.

*****

The night was restless for Stefan. He had left Matt in the forest not long after the incident with the rabbit--their friendship back on track, he hoped. He was going to need Matt to be at the top of his game while Stefan explored Germany. He was starting with the last known vampire Klaus had made: Katherine.

Odd, that his heart no longer broke at the thought of her name. He could still remember his love for her--a tarnished and faded memory of what could have been. Even before he found how she'd betrayed him, his love had been scratched and dented by the weight of the guilt and pain he'd felt.

There was still anger there, but it was now directed at Klaus, not the creature Katherine had become under his monstrous insanity. Stefan drew strength from the conviction that what he was doing was not only right, but necessary. He must stop Klaus, and he was the only one capable of doing so. Damon was not going to help anyone. Matt was still too young and weak. The girls were mortal despite Bonnie's powers.

Elena was dead.

There was still pain with her name, but it was not as keen and soul-crushing as it had been those first months after her death. He still ached from the memory of her restless spirit in Bonnie's vision, but that too gave him strength and conviction. He must find the answer, if only to give her the peace she so rightly deserved. Even if he could not join her in a better place.

But it was not thoughts of Elena that sent Stefan stalking the edges of town and through dark alleys. Even as he felt the rightness of what he was about to do, he could not fight the conflict in his mind that urged him to find some other route. He was sure that Germany was the right answer, but still...

He didn't want to leave. The town needed him.

Matt needed him.

He had seen the monster in Matt's eyes, as his claws dug into his shoulders and his fangs grazed skin. It called out to him. Stefan had felt that same creature clawing at the back of his mind for too many centuries to not recognize it.

Matt had no idea how to control himself, or just what he was capable of. Stefan trusted Matt without reserve, but he did not trust Klaus. Who knew what tricks he would play once Stefan was out of the country?

Midnight found Stefan on Matt's block, though he could not exactly trace how he had found his way through his wanderings. Convincing himself that he was just going to check quickly, as he would keep watch over Meredith or Bonnie, Stefan found his way to the back of the house, towards Matt's window.

The window was open, as the nights were still somewhat cool. There was no sign of anyone or any creature in the yard. The wind shifted, bringing the barely audible sound of huffing snores from the open window. Stefan could have identified the sounds in his own sleep. A soft smile flashed across his face at knowing that Matt was safe and sleeping soundly. He would need his strength.

Satisfied, Stefan headed towards Meredith's house, determined to make a quick check of everyone before returning to the boarding house for his own rest. It was his last night to watch over them. The least he could do was to make sure they were safe.

*****

It was pitch black when Matt found himself drawn out of a dream filled with bright blue. For a brief moment, he thought he'd caught Stefan's scent in the air, but as he rubbed his eyes and checked his clock, he figured it was just the remains on his clothes and comforter, which lay on the floor by his window. The night felt light against his skin, filled with just a hint of the coming summer. Just a couple days left.

The thought disturbed Matt in his half-awake state, and he turned his thoughts to the dream, concentrating on summer skies and grass like wind against his fur and the mud between his paws and mice that were born to be pounced on.

Matt curled into his blanket, calmed back into sleep by a familiar lupine cry in the distance.

****

Morning came far too early, with his mother's sharp voice by his bedside. "Phone," she mumbled pre-coffee as she dropped the cordless handset into his hand.

"Hell--"

"Matt! Meredith's coming in a half-hour. We've got to get to West Virginia and it's just a LONG way away and I hope we get there soon enough is Stefan there? Of course he's not there, but he didn't leave yet did he? I told him that weneededtotalktohimbeforeheleftandwe'vefoundhimMattwe'vefoundhim--"

"Bonnie?"

"Matt, wake up! Of course it's me. Listen: We've. Found. Him."

"Stefan?"

Bonnie's voice became hissingly loud as she whispered directly into the phone. "Kla--HIS victim. You know WHO."

Matt was awake. "Meet me at Stefan's in an hour."

"There's no time for that. Meredith's picking me up, then we'll come get you and then Stefan. Oh, tell me he didn't leave yet..."

"No, not yet. When will you be here?"

"A half hour. Oh, wait, here she is. We'll be there in fifteen minutes. We have to HURRY."

The line was dead before Matt could say anything more. He disconnected the buzzing line, then turned it back on to dial the boarding house.

He hoped that Mrs. Flowers was a morning person.

****

The institution was a terrible place. The medicine smell barely covered the scent of dust and depression. And death--not the smell of rotting bodies, but a pall of lifelessness that dirtied the air. It dragged on Matt's skin, threatening to suck the life from him as well.

It wasn't a good place to be, certainly not for someone who was sick. Matt hung to the back of the group, following Meredith's sure lead while working hard not to look at anyone. It was rude, but he couldn't help but hold a hand over his nose to block some of the smell. He envied the girls for a moment that they didn't have as sharp of senses.

Bonnie's head swiveled around desperately, watching everything. He could feel the fear radiating from her. She made a small noise in her throat, like a squirrel about to run, and Matt reached out to keep her steady. After all her bravado in the car, she was still a teenager not ready to face this kind of sad reality. None of them were ready.

Bonnie squeezed his hand desperately, her palm slick and sweaty. He squeezed back, sending her some courage as he turned his gaze on Meredith's back. She stiffened noticeably as she slowed down.

"This is his room."

She walked inside, her head held up like a queen but her feet shuffling like an old woman. Stefan turned his head a moment to send a look of silent courage to them both. Matt found himself dropping Bonnie's hand quickly, a flush of embarrassment crawling up his neck. Stefan didn't seem to notice as he turned his attention to the old, withered man inside the room.

Matt stuck to the back of the room, letting the others crowd around the stooped figure in the chair. The smell of lifelessness was strong, and Matt didn't know how Stefan could stand it as he knelt carefully beside the man. He looked up at the wrinkled face with kind eyes, his voice as smooth as if he were talking to anyone.

"Hello. I'm Stefan, a friend of Meredith's. Your granddaughter."

Matt could feel a tingle of static against his skin, and he knew that Stefan was using his Power on Meredith's granddad. "I need you to remember back many years ago, when you met a man. A very powerful man. There's something we need to know about him. It's very important, sir. This man... I know he hurt you, but he's hurting a lot of other people right now too. We need your help to stop him."

Matt could feel the Power growing, crackling in the room as Stefan gathered it to himself. The lifeless pall seemed to shiver in the wake of such energy working against it. "Sometimes, you can see things, even as he's hurting you. You can see into his mind and know things, even things he doesn't want you to know. He's weak, there, inside. What did you see when you looked in there? How is he weak? Tell us..."

The Power quivered, making Matt's teeth ache from it, and then it withdrew back into the shadows. Stefan continued talking, but it didn't have the strength of his Power behind it. The old man's eyes barely blinked as he stared straight ahead.

Bonnie stepped forward, looking small and pale next to Meredith. She concentrated, squinting her eyes at the old man. Matt could sense something from her, but he wasn't as finely tuned to her Power as he was to Stefan's, so he had no idea if she was helping at all. Meredith's grandfather didn't twitch.

Stefan shook his head at Matt after only a few minutes of this. They'd been there a quarter hour or so, but they all knew it was hopeless. None of them were strong enough. Stefan walked past Matt, and Matt could tell by the stoniness of his face that Stefan was set on heading to Europe as soon as they were out of the damned institution. Meredith's skin was tight across her face, as though she were holding so much in just standing there by her grandfather, doing nothing. Bonnie didn't pay attention to any of them until Matt tugged lightly on her elbow, encouraging her to stand.

It was as he was leading her out of the room that Bonnie suddenly stopped and screamed.

Matt turned to see a gaping statue stretched over Meredith like a malevolent shadow. He leapt forward, knocking into Bonnie even as she called out for Stefan. Matt wrapped his hands around Meredith's arms and pulled her back and sideways, out of harm. She fought his grip, turning towards her grandfather, as close to tears as he ever saw her.

A nurse elbowed past Matt, coming between them and Meredith's grandfather, and only then did Matt make out words within the terrible howling noise filling the room.

"Vampire! Vampire! Vampire! VAMPIRE!"

Matt clung to Meredith's arm as she fought to go to her grandfather, even as the nurse pushed them back out of the room. Bonnie pulled at Matt from the other side, and with much bumping and confusion, they were finally forced out into the hall.

Matt caught one last glimpse of the old man's maw of a mouth, and their eyes seeming to meet across a great distance.

"White ash wood!"

The door slammed into their faces, cutting off all but a muffled din from within.

The nurse stood like an ancient guardian in front of the door, glaring at them. Her hair was slightly disheveled from the braid down her back. "I said, you'll have to leave now."

Matt gave her a confused nod of his head, not really listening but too polite to ignore her. The old man's last words echoed through his head. /'White ash wood.'/

Tyler had said that only wood could hurt Klaus. He looked over at Stefan as his hand dropped from Meredith's arm. He could see the words were having the same effect on his friend. They shared a grin of triumph, and Matt's heart accelerated.

Then Bonnie gasped a quiet "oh my god." She joined them with a grin of her own.

Meredith carefully wiped a finger under her right eye as she composed herself. She looked at Stefan. "Well, you got your answer."

****

With as much time Matt and Stefan had spent in the forest, they knew exactly where to find the right tree. Stefan pulled Meredith's car up near the boarding house, and Matt leaped out before it was even properly stopped. The rest of the group quickly followed, tromping past Mrs. Flowers in the back garden. She watched them with a distracted gaze, and Stefan couldn't help but feel it lingered on Matt the longest.

The tall, thick ash tree seemed like a dirty grey ghost in the middle of the crowd of oak trees behind the boarding house. Stefan could remember how the sharp bark had felt against his back when Matt had playfully ambushed him during one of their many practice sessions. Was it only a few days ago? Stefan scratched a nail down the thick, rough bark, tracing a diamond pattern.

Matt was breathing excitedly next to him. He reached out as well, patting the trunk like it'd just scored the tying touchdown. "You better live up to your reputation. We need you, buddy."

"I thought Bonnie was supposed to be the one talking to trees." Meredith's voice was a little more subdued than normal, her biting humor an echo of what it once was.

Bonnie gave her a half-hearted glare, then stared wide-eyed at the large tree. "Well, trees /were/ sacred to the druids. They held special powers, connected to the sun and the earth. The ash tree was for magic. And the oak held the spirits of the dead." Like the boys, she reached out to touch it, her hand lingering on the mossy texture. "Especially now, on the solstice."

Matt jumped up to hang from the lowest branch, bouncing on it to test its strength. It was a good six feet long, thick with other smaller branches stretching out from it. His feet dangled over the ground as he bounced. "Solstice?" he asked absently.

Bonnie nodded, her eyes bouncing in rhythm with Matt's movements. "Today's the day before the summer solstice. It's a day for magic, for marking the change between seasons. A day when the line between the visible and invisible world is thin. A day for ghosts." She trailed off at that, distracted as Matt planted his feet on the trunk of the tree. His arm muscles rippled beneath his short sleeved shirt, and his body flexed. He arched his back, giving more leverage to his arms.

The thick branch gave a mighty groan as it finally snapped, and Stefan stepped forward in time to catch it as Matt landed nimbly on his feet. Bonnie jumped back, narrowly saving herself from getting whacked by a branch.

Matt smiled widely at Stefan, as proud as a young hunter making his first kill. In the fading light, Stefan could see the points of his teeth, hear the timber in his triumphant laugh. Stefan leaned the leafy end of the branch towards Matt, shielding his face from the girls as Matt caught it. Bonnie and Meredith were staring at them--Bonnie with appreciation and Meredith with cool appraisal.

Stefan settled the other end of the branch over his shoulder and led the party back to the boarding house before any more questions could be asked. Ghosts and magic... they'd need all the help they could get.

Mrs. Flowers seemed to be utterly engrossed in the weeds she was trimming as they passed her again, but before they could make it all the way to the boarding house, she raised her head and called out to them. "Package came for you, boy."

Stefan and Matt stopped, and Stefan adjusted the branch across his shoulder as he turned back towards her. "For /me/?"

"It had your name on it," she said as she looked back down at her plants. She selected a flower and snipped its head off. "I put it upstairs in your room."

They all glanced at each other and quickened their pace inside.

***

Matt concentrated on navigating the steps without knocking something over or slapping someone with the branch. It was a group effort to get it up the small stairs to the attic room. Why couldn't Stefan live in the basement like a regular vampire?

Even Matt had to pause to glance at the smooth brown package on the bed before he and Stefan set the branch against the wall. A creamy envelope lay on top, and when they all crowded around it, Matt could see Stefan's name scrawled across the front. Matt was relieved to find it wasn't written in blood. Dirty fingerprints and smudges covered the surface of the envelope, and it was crinkled, as though it'd been hastily stuffed into a pocket.

Meredith hissed as Stefan carefully reached for the package. He plucked the envelope off the top and examined it front and back. It was thin, and when Stefan ripped it open, it held no more surprises than a blank piece of paper.

"What the hell? It's blank!"

Matt wasn't the only one to react to the blank sheet--the girls stepped back, no longer crowding the bed. Bonnie sighed a deep breath and called it a joke, and Meredith snorted with disgust. Stefan, however, remained wary, watching the sheet as he turned it over and again. It gave Matt pause--something wasn't right.

Stefan suddenly hissed, his whole body stiffening as he let out his breath. Everyone leaned close around him to see.

"Shit."

The previously blank sheet of paper began to bleed ink across its surface. Letters appeared as chaotic black slashes forming the true contents of the note.

/Stefan,

Shall we try to solve this like gentlemen? I have the girl. Come to the old farm house in the woods after dark and we'll talk, just the two of us. Come alone and I'll let her go. Bring anyone else and she dies.

This is between you and me./

Matt immediately looked up, checking to be sure that Meredith and Bonnie hadn't disappeared while they read the letter. The girls looked back at him with white expressions. "What girl?" he said. He looked to Stefan, his thoughts now turning to Elena. "What girl?"

Stefan just shook his head at him.

Meredith was already shredding the brown package, extracting a long bit of sheer green fabric.

Bonnie's face grew whiter and more frightened. "Caroline." The name barely escaped her drawn lips. Her eyes closed, and for a moment, Matt thought she was going to faint. "He was just playing with us again. He let us get this far, even going to see Meredith's grandfather, and then..."

"He must have known," Meredith agreed. "He must have known all along we were looking for a victim."

"What are we going to do?" Bonnie asked, and the room went quiet.

Matt picked up the letter, reading it again. They needed a plan, and they needed one quick. "I know what we're not going to do, and that's listen to him. 'Try to solve it like gentlemen'--he's scum. It's a trap."

"Of course it's a trap," Meredith snapped. "He waited until we found out how to hurt him, and now he's trying to separate us. But it won't work!"

"We have to stay together as a team, like we have been. He knows he's in trouble, or he wouldn't grabbed Caroline in the first place. If he's so powerful, then why would he need a hostage? We've got the ash, and we've got each other."

"We've got Stefan," Meredith added.

Matt bit his cheek to keep from adding his own new and special strength to the equation. There wasn't time for explanations now. "He won't expect all of us to be there, armed and ready. We can make it backfire on him. Sneak up on him. Right, Stefan?" He noticed Stefan was lost in his own thoughts, setting the folded letter back on the bed. Matt nudged him. "Don't you think?"

"I think," Stefan said slowly, his low voice filled with predator stillness, "that I am going out to the woods after dark."

Matt nodded, his mind calculating strategy quicker than he'd ever had out on the field. "Okay, you go distract him, and the three of us--"

"The three of you," Stefan interrupted, his voice so quiet Matt's jaw audibly snapped closed, "are going home. To bed."

Matt watched his face, sensing something was off. The usual connection he felt to Stefan was gone, and he couldn't read his blank expression.

/You stubborn ass./ Matt drew in a slow breath, feeling like he was back in history class trying to draw Stefan out of his shell. "All right, Stefan. I understand how you feel about this--"

"I'm dead serious, Matt." Stefan stepped closer, looking up into Matt's eyes, his own gaze dark and shuttered. "Klaus is right--this is between him and me. He's going to hurt Caroline, if I don't go alone. It's my decision."

"It's your /funeral/!" Bonnie yelled suddenly. Her hands came up to her mouth, as though shocked she'd said it. Matt certainly was. "Stefan, you're crazy. You can't."

"Watch me."

"We won't let you."

Stefan straightened, looming over Bonnie while letting a little of his Power trickle to the surface. Matt could feel the sympathetic vibe in his chest, his own predator aroused by the sight of a vampire on the hunt. "Do you really think you could stop me?"

To her credit, Bonnie tried to meet his gaze, but her strength was still no match. She looked away, gazing at Matt for help.

Matt's limbs were ready for a fight, but his mind held him back until he was trembling in place. Stefan glared over at Meredith before brushing past Matt to escape their little group.

He stepped on the longest side-branch on the bough and broke it off with a vicious yank before effortlessly stripping off the rest of the twigs with his bare hands in a simple show of strength.

Bonnie gave a low, helpless moan, and Meredith stood as quiet in her fury as Matt. Stefan stripped the branch until it was a long staff, like the ones they had practiced with just yesterday. But this time, there was only the one. The wrongness of that struck Matt to his core, breaking the stillness.

"You're going off in single combat? Don't you see how stupid that is? You're walking right into his trap." A low growl gathered in his chest. "You may not think that the three of us can stop you--"

"No, Matt." Meredith's voice was quiet and serious like Stefan's but the cool touch of her hand on Matt's arm was enough to remind him that this wasn't the place for the fight. She stepped forward to the front of their little pack, facing Stefan. "So, you're determined to meet Klaus face to face, Stefan. All right. But before you go, at least be sure you have you have a fighting chance."

Matt watched as Meredith unbuttoned her shirt, letting it fall over her shoulder. /What the.../ It took just a moment for the significance of the gesture to work through his mind. Meredith was offering her blood, her strength, to help Stefan fight.

Matt looked to Bonnie, who returned his gaze with one of determination. She unzipped her jacket.

Their blood would help the fight, but his own had the most strength to offer. With an easy move, Matt stripped off his shirt. Adrenaline made him feel strong, and he flexed his arms and shoulders, ready for a fight.

Stefan watched them all with barely concealed shock, then he met Matt's eyes. The branch whirled in his hands as he held it in front of him. "No." He lowered the staff in a relaxed defensive position and began to stalk towards the door.

Matt was the first to reach him, grabbing his arm even as he knocked the wood aside. He could barely hear Bonnie's gasp over his own pounding pulse. "Don't be a jerk, Stefan. We need you strong."

"I said NO!" Stefan jerked out of Matt's grip, pressing the jagged edge of the branch to his bare chest. "I made a promise. Not for revenge, and not to fight evil with evil. I thought /you/ would understand that."

Stefan was wrong. They could still do good, even as the creatures they were now--it was the one thing Matt had clung to through it all. He gathered his thoughts, trying to respond as calm as he could. "I understand that you're going to die out there."

"He's right!" Bonnie's strident tone drew their attention back outside of each other. "'No one can fight him and live.' That's what Vickie said, and it's true. I /feel/ it, Stefan. No one can fight him and live."

Stefan's face was cold. "It isn't your problem. Let me worry about it."

"But if there's no way to win--" Matt started.

"That isn't what Bonnie said," Stefan replied too calmly.

"You stupid asshole! What the hell are you talking about? No one can fight him and live!"

Stefan's voice was cool, almost amused as he looked into Matt's face. "I'm already dead."

"That's not--" Matt was getting too angry to understand anymore. He just wanted to fight.

"You bunch of stupid /humans,/" Stefan said as he looked past Matt, but directing his speech at them all. "I don't need any of you. I don't want you with me, and I don't want you to follow me. You'll only spoil my strategy." He gave Matt a push, catching him off guard. Matt fell on his butt, hard. Stefan raised the branch as a weapon, pointing it at Matt even as he looked to the girls. "Anyone who does follow me, I'll kill." Then he walked out.

Matt watched the door as though Stefan would change his mind and come stalking through again at any moment. Bonnie's fingers were cold and clammy when she came to his side, urging him to stand.

"God, Matt," she breathed, her eyes perfectly round. "What happened?"

"He's gone out of his fucking vampire MIND, that's what." He wiped off any dirt that might have smudged his jeans, still glaring at the door.

"No," Meredith interjected. Bonnie's cool fingers traced one scar across Matt's shoulder and back, where Tyler's claws had dug in deep before ripping.

"Nothing," he said defensively. He shrugged her off, walking back to where he'd dropped his shirt. Angrily, he snatched it off the floor, glaring at Bonnie if she dared to think to ask again. "We don't have time for that. We have to find Stefan."

"Matt's right," Meredith said. "He's trying too hard to scare us off. He wants to do it alone."

"But that's crazy. Klaus is too strong! Maybe if Damon were here--"

/You bunch of stupid humans.../

Why would Stefan say that to him? Stefan had done nothing this past week but remind Matt of his new powers. Matt was no more human than Stefan now. He played Stefan's last words in his head, ignoring the girls for now.

/You'll ruin my strategy./

/I don't need any of you./

/...I don't want you to follow me./

/He's waiting for you.../

Elena?

"Elena's special. She is what she is because she died too young." Matt's stomach flipped as he listened to Bonnie's speech. "She left so much unfinished in her own life and--well, she's a special case. But Stefan's been a vampire for 500 years, and he certainly wouldn't be dying young. There's no guarantee he'd end up with Elena. He might go to another place or--or he might just go out. Poof."

Another place... away from Elena, where Matt couldn't find him. Clear as a memory, the dream he'd had a week ago came back to him, and he understood. Stefan had said that Matt had been dead.

It hadn't been a dream.

/He needs you... and you're going to need him./

"Elena..." Matt breathed her name, his mission suddenly clear. His forgotten shirt fluttered to the floor as Matt ran downstairs, leaving the girls behind.

****

The ground disappeared beneath Matt's feet as he flew down the stairs and out of the boarding house. It took him seconds to orient himself to Stefan--he knew Stefan's scent as his own. He started into the forest, first on two feet before falling into a half-lope with claws extended, hands tearing up soil and branch as it got in his way. It didn't take him long to recognize the path of the grey-shadowed forest swirling around him, enough to know where Stefan was heading. Strategy finally overcame instinct, and he slowed, circling until he could come up behind the old Francher farm without being seen.

The ground smelled like blood, and Matt was brought back to when he'd last been here with Elena, rescuing Stefan from the well. He breathed heavily through his mouth, tasting the wind for any sign of approach. It was nearing dark, and his senses were filled with the creatures of the forest--or at least those who had been there until recently. The usual din of dusk was silenced. Worms, insects, and spiders still crawled, but that was all. Not even a mouse peeked out.

The wind shifted slightly, bringing in a fresh-blood scent. Matt tensed as he tracked it, moving with absolute silence through the thick undergrowth. The sharp stench of death joined the sweet blood smell, and Power beyond what he'd ever felt before made his bones hurt. Without even seeing, Matt knew he'd found Klaus. He crouched behind a thick stump as he carefully searched the area.

He found the white bird skin of Caroline just as he heard her muffled cries. His fur stood up as a tall white shape stood over her bound body. The creature oozed Power like electricity from an outlet, making Matt's skin go cold. He barely stopped himself from growling in defense at the monster before him.

The creature turned towards Matt, stilling in surprise. He thought he was found, but the gaze moved beyond the rotted trunk to the clearing. It wasn't until he heard a familiar voice that he realized Stefan had arrived. Matt couldn't even feel him in the darkness--the creature was so powerful, it consumed Matt's senses.

Matt watched from his careful perch. Stefan stayed to the edge of the clearing, oak trees guarding his back as he faced Caroline and her captor. All his Power was concentrated on his enemy.

Matt tried to block out the magnet that was Klaus, and concentrated on Stefan, looking for that reassuring presence. He wanted to run over and join his packmate, but they needed strategy. If he could only draw Stefan's attention without Klaus finding him...

Just barely under the terrible stench of rotted things that covered the air, Matt could make out the light scent of forest, trees and grass, and thick heavy fur.

His human mind couldn't identify it, but the wolf knew it well. Before he'd had a second to think about it, Matt was running straight for Stefan.

He was in trouble.

***

Stefan sensed movement from his left, expecting an attack. When he saw the wolf-shape, he recognized it instantly: the same grey-gold wolf who had transformed in front of him a week ago. Matt's jaws were open wide as he sprinted in full hunting mode, his entire body transformed already. His eyes were trained just above Stefan's head, to the thick branches overhead.

Matt leapt. Stefan ducked and rolled out of the way of flailing claws, just as Matt collided with a dark shape that had fallen where Stefan had been standing just seconds before. At least Stefan now knew where Tyler had been.

Klaus's laughter boomed across the forest, making Stefan's ears crackle. He turned away from the furious werewolf battle to see the ancient vampire slowly staggering closer. "Nothing better than a good dog fight to get you in the killing mood, huh, Salvatore? Watching two animals tear each other apart." Klaus threw his head back and inhaled deeply. "Wanna place your bet on which one dies?"

Stefan could make out movement in the forest behind Klaus, where Caroline lay bound against the foundations of the old house. He couldn't see them, but he knew it had to be Bonnie and Meredith. He kept his eyes from straying towards them, concentrating on Klaus instead. He carefully got to his feet, walking away from the werewolf fight and drawing the ancient one's attention. He could hear growls and yelling behind him, but it took all his strength not to turn around, trusting Matt to take care of himself.

"You're sick."

"You can't tell me that a little blood and violence doesn't get your heart pumping. I can smell it on you. You stink of dog."

The girls had reached Caroline. He could just make out the flurried movements as they worked to untie the bonds. "I thought we were supposed to settle this like gentlemen, Klaus. Just you and me."

Klaus laughed again. "I can see why Katherine liked you. You're just as stupid and gullible as she was. I wonder if you'll taste just as sweet."

There was a muffled noise as the girls removed Caroline's gag. Klaus's smile dropped as he turned to see the two girls trying to get Caroline to stand.

"Run! Get out of there!" Stefan yelled even as he ran towards Klaus.

The clearing was suddenly flash-bulb bright. Lightning cracked down from the sky--the cloudless sky. Stefan came up short and the girls froze as Klaus reached up to pluck the vicious energy from the air. He gathered it in his hands, folding it over and over until he had a glowing fist of fire.

"RUN!" Stefan screamed. The girls were scrabbling in the dirt, trying to hold on to each other and Caroline as they made to escape. Stefan raised the white ash staff in his hands, closing the last of the distance between him and Klaus as he attacked.

Klaus released the energy at the girls before Stefan could reach him, but he didn't have a chance to check on their escape. The first strike landed heavily across the back of Klaus's shoulders, but Klaus ducked before Stefan could follow up with a blow across his head. Klaus reached into the grass as he tripped along, picking up a massive branch of his own. Stefan's next blow collided with the branch, the strength of it vibrating up his arm to make his teeth rattle in his jaw.

Klaus's face was wild with fury, and the air stank of ozone as they traded blows. Stefan blocked out the rest of the world so he could concentrate on Klaus.

***

Matt growled and snapped, going for Tyler's neck whenever he could find an opening, his lean body twisting to avoid Tyler's claws. The human within him stepped back to let the wolf out to fight this round. He didn't think of Stefan or Meredith or Bonnie. He didn't think of Elena. All he thought of was blood.

Tyler had a distinct advantage. He wasn't completely wolf yet, hovering in between to make full use of gripping fingers as he bit and slashed, but that also made him an easier target. Skin gave way under claw much easier than fur. They rolled across the ground and tree roots, fighting for dominance of the battle. Tyler was stronger, but Matt was angry. He poured all his energy into the attack, but he wouldn't be able to keep it up forever.

Tyler managed to roll on top of Matt and stay there. His fingers dug deep into Matt's fur, claws searching for and finding his ribs even as Matt reached for his throat. Tyler thrust out his other arm, lodging it in Matt's jaws before he could make the kill. He clamped on, biting deep and tossing his head as he shredded the meat stuck between his teeth.

Tyler howled, throwing back his head as he raised his other arm to slash at Matt's now vulnerable neck.

With a hollow thump, something collided with Tyler's head, and the arm in Matt's teeth stopped moving. Tyler sunk to the ground beside Matt, giving him the chance to loosen his teeth from the tough muscle. He licked his lips, cleaning out the fur and skin that clung to his mouth as he looked around for his helper.

Bonnie stood dumbstruck over Tyler's body, a shattered stub of an old branch in her hand. She stared at Matt with wide eyes, her white lips pursed in a straight line. Meredith came running from the shadows with a wobbly Caroline leaning heavily against her. A silver dagger shone in the half-light, as sharp and deadly as anything Matt had seen. He reflexively backed away from it, growling a little in his throat.

The girls stopped just a little bit behind Bonnie. "Damon?" Meredith whispered.

They still didn't know, Matt realized. He lowered his lips, covering his teeth as he backed away more.

"No," Bonnie said. "That's not Damon."

It took a lot of concentration, but Matt was able to shift his body. The only pain he could feel, despite the myriad of bleeding wounds on his body, was from the look of fear in the girls' eyes as he crouched human and ashamed on the forest floor.

Bonnie dropped the broken, rotted wood she'd been clutching, her face falling. "Oh, Matt..."

Caroline darted behind Meredith before finally collapsing, shivering, on the ground. Matt's eyes stayed on Meredith and the dagger in her hand. She eyed him carefully, composed. Then she dropped the dagger.

Normal sound returned to them: Matt's panting breath, Tyler's moans, the clashing of branches. Matt turned towards the fight. It looked at first that Stefan might be winning. Klaus was bent back as Stefan pressed down against his staff, the weapons locked over his chest. Matt couldn't believe that they were winning. It seemed too easy.

Then Klaus's face split in an insane smile.

Even as Matt watched, Klaus forced Stefan back, pushing until Stefan was flat on the ground beneath him, his own weapon crushing his windpipe. Matt spared a quick glance at the girls. "Watch him." Meredith nodded quietly. Then Matt bolted, straight into the fray.

He took a flying leap at Klaus which should have knocked him off of Stefan. Klaus easily caught him in mid-air, standing up to toss Matt over his head. In one smooth move, Klaus stepped on Stefan's chest and picked up the ash branch, aiming it at Stefan's face as he pointed the other one at Matt.

"Bad dog!" he admonished. He twisted his foot cruelly, grinding it against Stefan's chest. Stefan gasped, and his fingers gripped at Klaus's boot ineffectually. Matt could hear the creak of bones under Klaus's step. "Didn't you ever teach your dog not to jump up on strangers?" Klaus asked Stefan, ignoring his gasps of pain.

Klaus whistled into the sky, a high pitch noise that carried through the darkness. The girls screamed as Tyler woozily gathered his feet. Matt took a step towards them, but Klaus shifted his foot again, making it clear that Matt wasn't to move. Meredith was once again brandishing the silver dagger, and Bonnie had found a new stick to threaten Tyler with, but the half-wolf wasn't interested in them. He carelessly swiped at them with one arm before loping away into the clearing to join their little triangle, standing opposite of Matt.

"The trick to owning a pet, Stefan, is to train them right. Keep 'em on a leash, let them know who's Master. Then they'll go to the ends of the earth to please you."

Tyler growled with displeasure at Klaus's words, but he didn't say or do anything about it. He was afraid of Klaus--Matt could smell it. He could also finally see Tyler clearly in the silvery moonlight. Blood spilled freely down one side of his face where Bonnie had hit him, and his hand was limp at the end of his mauled arm. However, Tyler looked worse than Matt expected. There were marks on his body that weren't caused from their fight--old cuts and bruises that hadn't been allowed to heal. Scars that hadn't been there just a week ago.

What had Klaus done to him?

Matt couldn't contain the threatening growl that issued from his throat.

Klaus grinned back at Matt, more amused than threatened. "You really need to keep better control over your dog, boy."

/That/ got a reaction from Tyler. "He's MINE! I made him. Matt belongs to me!"

Klaus's smile didn't waver, but his voice was cold. "Dumb animals..." He moved swiftly, twisting his upper body to swing the branch staff he'd been pointing at Matt towards Tyler. It struck him across the knee, knocking him to the ground.

"Did I tell you to speak?"

Matt was so startled, he didn't think to move to do anything. Who in their right mind would injure someone on their own side?

But then Matt realized that Klaus wasn't exactly in his right mind.

Tyler whimpered as he lay on the ground. Klaus eyed the blood at the end of the branch with a snarl, then tossed the staff away as if it'd been soiled. "You try your dog yet, boy? Their blood's got some kick, but I could never stand the smell of wet fur." He glared down at Tyler. "Get up."

Tyler was breathing heavily as he knelt up. His knee looked ruined from where Matt stood, but as the werewolf planted both hands in the dirt and pushed himself up, Matt realized just how quickly Tyler could heal now. His mauled arm was already improving, and even has he bit his lip against the pain, Tyler was able to stand.

"See?" Klaus asked, smiling proudly down to Stefan. "He'll do anything I ask." He turned back to Tyler. "Now, dog. Speak."

"Matt is mine." Tyler stared at Matt. "He's my blood, and I made him. Salvatore doesn't deserve him." He looked down at Stefan. "I've seen you two in the forest, as you trained him. You have no idea what to do with him." Tyler growled. "He's weak because of you. I watched you, all over each other... He doesn't belong to you!"

Stefan was in pain, but Klaus seemed to enjoy this little show and eased up on his chest enough to let him breathe. "He doesn't belong to you, either," Stefan gasped out.

Tyler howled and snarled, his face twisted and unrecognizable despite his still-human appearance. "Matt is MINE."

Stefan shook his head, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He turned his gaze away from the snarling werewolf, to look into Matt's eyes. "You belong to yourself." His breathing was strained, and his voice was painful to hear, but it gave Matt strength.

Tyler growled, and his voice came out with a whine. "Mine."

"In your dreams!"

****

Matt launched himself at Tyler again. Their bodies seemed to shimmer as they moved, the various changes coming swiftly as they embraced the battle. There was a snarl and a snap of teeth as they clashed, claws and fur growing long.

"Puppies," a distorted, drunken voice boomed above Stefan. "They'll hump anything that moves." Klaus watched the two werewolves grappling on the ground with a sort of lasciviousness that made Stefan uneasy. When he looked back at Stefan, the look was still there. "But then, I suppose you'd know all about that."

Stefan let his anger and indignation fuel him. He dug his fingers into Klaus's boot, twisting and knocking him off balance as he shifted out from under him. His ribs screamed as he stood, but he ignored the pain for now. The ancient vampire seemed surprised by the sudden turn, but Stefan couldn't be sure it wasn't just another one of his tricks. There was no way to trust what he saw or felt when it came to Klaus.

Stefan eyed the white ash branch Klaus pointed at him.

Klaus laughed deeply, waving the staff around. "You want this, little boy?" He held the ash between his hands like a weight bar. "You think this little twig can harm me?" He flexed his arms, snapping the thick wood in half. He tossed the pointed half to Stefan, slinging the blunt end over his shoulder casually. "I'm older than the ground that nurtured this tree. It can't hurt me. You can't do anything to me."

"I can try." Stefan launched himself back into the fight.

****

Matt had spent most of his energy in the first attack, and his fury could only lead him so far. Tyler was stronger, more vicious and wild in the fight. Matt aimed carefully at Tyler's injured arm and knee, but they only distracted him for a few minutes. Tyler's injuries were healing as they fought, making him even less vulnerable.

Tyler hadn't been that strong last week. If things worked like they did with vampires, Matt had to wonder just what--or WHO--Tyler had been eating.

Matt aimed a kick at Tyler's crotch, catching him instead in the stomach and pushing him away from his face. He followed it up with a few swipes at his neck, but they didn't connect right. Tyler caught his wrists and pushed them down to the ground, making his wolf-narrowed chest ache. Matt fought, but he could feel Tyler overtaking him, wearing him down.

"Klaus is going to eat your boyfriend," Tyler teased in Matt's ear. "And I'm gonna to watch."

Matt pushed up with every ounce of his strength, knocking Tyler away. He pounced, aiming for Tyler's throat again, but he was surprised when claws dug into the back of his neck and knocked him face down on the ground.

Matt's bare back bled freely, making Tyler's crotch slide as he sat on Matt to pin him down. There were so many bites and cuts across his skin, Matt couldn't find an inch of his body that didn't hurt. He struggled and spit, raking up the ground as he tried to push himself up. Tyler clenched his fist in Matt's hair and slammed his face into the ground several times, then ground his nose into the soil. When he finally let up, Matt had to turn his face to the side to keep from breathing in the dirt as blood poured across his lips.

"You're mine, Honeycutt," Tyler growled in his ear. "I've been waiting all week for this. If you thought what I was going to do to that girl was bad, you haven't seen anything. I've learned a few tricks. I'm gonna make you scream. First you, then the girls."

Tyler had Matt pinned, and no matter how much he twisted his body and clawed at the dirt, he couldn't get out from under his weight. Bloody saliva drooled down Tyler's gums, splattering across Matt's cheek. His breath smelled as rotten as Klaus.

"You're gonna pay."

Tyler flexed his claws in Matt's skin, preparing for a final bite. Then he stiffened with an animal whine, twisting off Matt's body.

Matt turned his head to the other side to see Stefan kneeling over Tyler. His hand was covered with blood as he held onto the thick end of the ash stake. It was buried deep in Tyler's back at a steep angle. Tyler twisted and jerked forward, knocking the branch out of Stefan's hand. He tried to get to his feet, but the wound was too grievous. Tyler fell, the thick ash branch sticking out of his body like an overlarge arrow. He reached back, scrabbling at the branch, but it was in too deep and out of his reach. He tried to get up again, taking a few steps before falling down. His claws raked up the dirt as he stumbled and crawled his way towards the forest.

Stefan rolled Matt over, ignoring Tyler for now. "You okay?"

Matt could now see a tall white shape over Stefan's shoulder. "Stefan!"

Stefan ducked in time to miss a blow that would have taken his head off. He stood, getting a few steps away. He had sacrificed his only weapon to help Matt, but Stefan wasn't defenseless. He threw a few bare-knuckle punches of his own at Klaus, backing off quickly before he could be grabbed, dancing away from Klaus's wild swings with the last of the ash branch. Matt could see how tired he was. The bruises on his skin told of how many blows had made their target.

Matt tried to get up, but his legs were too weak and his head throbbed as he moved. He crawled, getting near enough to bring a hand up to swipe at Klaus's leg, but the vampire sent him flying with a well-aimed kick to the side. Matt flew several feet until he hit the grass again, sliding in his own blood. He coughed and tasted coppery dirt in the back of his throat. His entire right side felt like mush. He could hardly catch his breath. His eyes swam in the stars.

Matt's eyes cleared only to see Stefan on his back once again, with Klaus standing above him. Klaus held up the jagged end of the stick, then jabbed it into Stefan's chest. Stefan screamed, and Matt could feel an answering howl scratching at his breathless throat. He clawed in the grass, trying to drag himself closer.

Klaus brought the stick down again and again, until Stefan's chest was a bloody mess, and his screams no longer escaped his mouth. Klaus paused, staring down at him and smiling, then he brought the stake up one last time.

A white blur flew across the sky, and with a blink of Matt's eye, an ash spear imbedded itself in Klaus's chest. Klaus's hand spasmed, dropping the bloodied, broken branch to the ground. He choked as blood rushed to his lips.

Damon walked out of the shadows and into the clearing. "Get away from my brother."

Klaus screamed at him, a low rumbling sound that made Matt's ears pop. He wrapped one hand around the branch in his chest, his attention now on the short vampire stalking into the clearing. "You idiot! We don't have to fight. I told you that at the house!"

"Get away from my brother, before I tear your heart out." Damon was close, his eyes locked on Klaus with such intensity that Matt could feel the Power in that gaze. It was small and weak compared to the blazing supernova that was Klaus, but it was still impressive. Damon didn't stop until he was just outside of Klaus's reach.

"I told you!" Klaus said, then his face melted into a snarl. Giving another shout, he twisted his wrist and tore the stake from his own chest. Dark and clotted blood cascaded unheeded out of the gaping hole.

Tyler's words came back to Matt's mind. /You could stick a stake in his heart and it wouldn't do anything./

Klaus smiled dangerously at Damon, then he laughed his crazy laugh. He raised the ash branch over his head, bellowing low as the sky split and lightning poured down towards them. It wrapped around the stake like a living snake, curling around Klaus's body. He pointed his other arm at Damon, aiming with deadly intent. Klaus was completely surrounded by the white blaze, then something went wrong.

A shadow rose up out of the bright light, piercing through Klaus's chest to burst through the other side. The lightning glow seemed to be sucked inside through the wound, plunging the clearing into sudden darkness. Matt heard his own heart give a sick thump.

Then the world exploded in a massive fireball.

Spots swam over Matt's vision, but he continued his slow, painful progress towards Stefan. Bright figures danced in his sight in the aftermath, making it hard to see anything real. The air stank of burnt flesh. Things were far too quiet; he could only hear his own gasping breath and the rasp of his body across the hot, bloody ground. He continued in the direction he'd last seen Stefan, hoping that he was still okay.

Matt stopped when he felt skin under his fingers. He felt around, determining it was an arm. It moved under his touch, and he blinked hard and again to try to get a sense of it in the darkness. He could see white fingers moving in the grass, looking for something to hold on to, and then he saw the broken and burned stump at the shoulder.

There was no body attached to the arm, but it still moved. He tossed the disembodied arm away from him in disgust before the thought that it could have been Stefan's even occurred to him.

What /happened/?

The shapes around him resolved slowly into his friends. Bonnie, Meredith... Meredith knelt down in front of him, and Bonnie tried to help him stand. He tried to wave off Bonnie's hands. "Help him. Stefan..."

Meredith's face fell, and suddenly he knew he had to see. Grasping Bonnie's hand, he pulled himself upright into a sitting position. He was close enough now to make out the dark figure of Stefan on the ground through the swimming bright shapes in his eyes. And Klaus...

There were parts of the ancient vampire everywhere, from large chunks to smaller debris mixed in with various small fires covering the clearing. And every bit of him was alive. Even shapeless masses of smoking flesh moved like jelly on the flaming grass. It was a small glimpse of some kind of hell.

Stefan was laying several feet from where he'd fallen, his head now being held up in Meredith's lap. He seemed to be covered in soot. It took Matt a few moments of staring at the pained movements of Stefan's chest to see that he was actually burned terribly all over his body. One arm was still stretched out, holding a dark lump of muscle in his hand. As Matt watched, it twitched, pulsed, and blood oozed out of holes.

It was Klaus's heart.

"Stefan..."

Green eyes fluttered and opened with Matt's voice. "Hey..." Stefan's breath hissed out of him, but he seemed to see Matt. Perhaps even smile. "It's over."

"No, it's not," Meredith said sadly. She was looking around, and Matt could smell the stench of fear over the smoke. "He's still... functioning. What can we do?"

"Get out of here." Everyone turned, surprised to see Damon limping towards them. He seemed to be mostly unhurt, despite his proximity to the explosion. A large bit of bone stuck out of his leg. His hand pressed around the edges of the wound as he dragged his leg behind him. Once he was close enough, he let himself fall to the ground beside Matt and Stefan. Bonnie hovered close, as though she wanted to touch him, but he was generating enough bad vibes to keep everyone away. His eyes were locked with Stefan's.

"I just saw a couple pieces of what could have been his spleen knitting themselves together. Sooner or later, he's going to pick up all the pieces and he won't be happy." His breathing was quick and shallow. Damon wrapped his hand around the bone shard. With a sharp twist, he began to work it out of his leg, barely grimacing as he pulled. It finally came out with a wet sucking sound. Damon threw the bone to the ground, and as Matt watched, the blood was sucked into the bone.

Even broken into hundreds of pieces, Klaus was still hungry.

Damon covered the wound with one hand as he leaned over his brother. "We need to clear out of here before it happens. We can go somewhere else..."

"No." Matt's throat hurt from hearing the way the word grated in Stefan's throat.

"Okay. So we bury some of the pieces, burn others, scatter the remains as far as we can and hope they never get put back together. At least we won't have to worry about Tyler anymore. We just need to get you out of here."

"No."

"Little brother--" Damon began, but Stefan reached up and touched the back of his hand. The blackened fingers were covered with red cracks that seeped sooty blood, leaving Damon's pale skin marked.

"No. It's. Over." Stefan had to struggle to breathe between every word. Matt scooted as close as he could, his legs still dead beneath him. He wanted to touch Stefan, but he was afraid that all he'd do was cause him more pain. Bonnie shook her head, falling to join them all on the bloody ground, her curls covering her face.

"Would blood help him?" Meredith asked, her voice wavering between calm and panic. Her hand touched the top of Stefan's hair where he was unburned.

A look passed over Damon's face, but it was gone too quick. "Not much. A little, maybe."

"We've got to try anything that helps at all."

"No."

"Don't be stupid," Damon snapped, glaring down at Stefan, but Stefan's eyes were calm.

Stefan's gaze moved over to Matt, and he understood. "He made a promise," Matt explained to Damon. He never looked away from those green eyes. "He won't break it, not for anything."

"Won't. Help. Dead."

"You're not dead," Bonnie said, her voice quivering. "You're not."

"Over... Please."

Matt could reach the expression in Stefan's eyes. He knew there wasn't any more hope left for them this night. They'd defeated Klaus--for now--but at the greatest expense. The best they could do now is let Stefan go. He was in so much pain--Matt could see it in his eyes, and the way his skin cracked with every breath. Burns were the worst pain in the world. There was nothing left now but to let him go. Let him... fade away.

"No!" Matt scrabbled the last bit of distance between them until he was right there by Stefan's side. Pain be damned, he reached out and touched Stefan's neck, on a small patch of pink-burnt skin that didn't feel like ashes beneath his fingers. He was so close to Stefan's face, he wanted to choke on the taste of fire in the air. "I came back for you, and I'm not going to let you go so easily. You stupid... vampire! You can't just give up on me. Elena said you were waiting for me, and God damn it you're going to stay right here until I say so."

"Elena..."

"That's right, you thick-headed creep, I saw her too. She doesn't want it to be like this. Not after all we've gone through. If taking blood can help you to live, then you're going to take it."

"No."

"Fuck your promise. Stefan..." Wetness fell on Stefan's cheek, and Matt realized it was tears--Matt's own tears. He was crying. "Elena wants you here. I want you here."

"Matt." Stefan's voice was hardly a whisper across Matt's lips, but he heard it. He felt the wet-ash touch of Stefan's hand on his face, felt the soft breath across his cheek, and then Stefan's eyes closed.

"Stefan? Please... not yet." He looked up at the sky, seeing the moon still heavy one week past full, the stars twinkling behind smoke. He wondered if he'd feel it, Stefan's soul, as it escaped. He wondered if he would just go out, like Bonnie said.

He dropped his head to look at the people around him. Meredith's face was turned away, the profile of her cheek glistening. Damon stared at Stefan, waiting for his eyes to open again. Bonnie stared into a nearby fire that danced harmlessly in the middle of sodden grass. Her gaze was far away, her features slack.

Matt remembered that look. He could feel a rise of Power gathering around them. "Bonnie? Bonnie?"

Suddenly, her head dropped back, and Bonnie let out a scream like he hadn't heard before. "ELENA! ELENA!"

Then she collapsed.

The woods were quiet but for the crackling of dozens of tiny fires and a small chorus of ragged breaths. Then sparks like fireflies started swirling around them. They seemed to gather dust between them, becoming brighter and more substantial by the second. Soon, they started to take on a shape, and the light became blinding. Matt shielded his eyes until it faded away, and when he looked up, Elena was there.

Not quite the Elena he remembered from those last few frightening days--more like the Elena of his dream. Solid and hyper-real and so very beautiful, like a bright spring day. He would have thought he was in that other place once again, but this was far too horrible a scene. A hand scrambled in the dirt beside her, as though trying to run away. With a disgusted look on her face, she stepped on it, crushing it to the ground.

"Elena..."

She looked up and gave Matt a light smile, and instantly he forgot what he was going to say. Forgot everything. She seemed to glide just above the ground, going forward without really moving. Then she knelt on the other side of Stefan, just inside his outstretched arm.

"Bonnie called for me. I came."

"Stefan needs help." At least Meredith could still talk. Elena broke eye-contact with Matt, turning to gaze over at Meredith. She looked... not sad, not exactly. But there was a weight to her gaze now. Matt couldn't describe it. She reached out, brushing a tear from Meredith's cheek before wiping a hand across her forehead. Instantly, crease-lines faded on Meredith's face, and the tension that Matt hadn't realized had been there disappeared. She seemed... at peace.

"Please," Matt said, finding his own tongue at last. "Can you help?"

Elena looked down, her gaze now filled with pain. She made the same gesture across Stefan's scorched brow, and frowned. "I can do something. Tonight, I have that kind of power, but I don't know if it's the kind of help he wants." She met Matt's eyes, her voice soft and serious. "I can cure what Klaus did tonight, but I can't cure what Katherine did. He'll continue to live in a world of shadows..."

"To go on trying..."

Matt looked down, surprised to find Stefan's eyes were open again. He'd thought that it'd been too late. "Stefan?"

"Yes," he answered, but he was looking at Elena. She smiled down at him, then bent down and kissed Stefan. Matt felt like an intruder on a very private moment, but he couldn't look away. As he watched, a golden aura encompassed them both. The fireflies returned, but this time they were swimming through Stefan's body, touching every part of him with sparks and sparkles, leaving long trails of bright gold in their wake. They faded away when Elena sat up.

Softly, she ran her hand over Stefan's cheek, her fingers catching on the paper-thin burnt skin, peeling it back. Matt winced, but when he looked, there was perfect, pale, smooth skin beneath.

He reached out himself, taking Stefan's hand and rubbing down his forearm. The burns flaked away under his touch. Matt laughed. "Thank you. Elena... thank you."

She dimpled at him, and Matt had to lean forward to give her a hug. She caught him around the shoulders, her lips brushing his cheek. Her touch was like diamonds, smooth and rich and impossibly real, and the fireflies were dancing in his vision. When he sat back, he could feel his toes moving without pain, his body once more under his control. Matt flexed his arms, feeling the strength returning. A thought intruded on his joy. "What about..."

She shook her head sadly, glancing to Stefan, and Matt understood perfectly. He hadn't been a werewolf as long as Stefan had been a vampire, but Elena still didn't have the power to change things like that. Matt nodded, taking a deep breath. "Thank you."

She nodded in return, then turned away from them to look at poor Bonnie, laying forgotten on the forest floor. Elena seemed to move all at once, gone and then there, by the girl's side. She smiled down at the curly head cradled in pale arms. Her hand caught a small lock of hair as she bent down, kissing the redhead.

Bonnie shot up suddenly, looking around in great fright before catching sight of Elena. "Oh... you came." Her words were both awed and calm.

"You called, at the right place at the right time. Honoria would be proud of the druid you're becoming."

"Druidess," Bonnie corrected, smiling up at the ghost of her best friend.

Elena laughed, then stood, floating over to where Caroline still lay unconscious on the forest floor. She kissed the girl as well, then reappeared by Stefan's side. Damon stared at her, as though daring her to do something. She kissed the tips of her fingers, and laid them on Damon's leg. The fireflies worked quickly, and when Damon moved his hand away, Matt could see the pale skin through the dark of his jeans.

Stefan sat up on his own, scratching at the flaking flesh around his face. He lifted his other arm, only to make a face at the twitching, pulsing mass that was Klaus's still-beating heart. It looked grotesque in his hand.

Elena touched his shoulder softly, her hand gliding down to cover his. She took the heart from his palm, cradling it in her own. She stared down at it, like a seer at a crystal ball. It pulsed without a rhythm. "Klaus has brought a lot of darkness to this world. He's shed a lot of blood."

She looked around her, and Matt was shocked to see mist rising out of the ground. The twitching flesh seemed repulsed by the white phosphorous, but it couldn't get far. The mist covered it, every piece, gathering it into its folds until they were merely dark spots within a field of dancing silvery moonlight.

"No more," she said to the heart. She crushed it in her palm. Blackness oozed between her fingers and disappeared before it could drip onto the ground. She stood, cocking her arm back like a pro, and pitched the mashed heart far into the sky. Even with Matt's werewolf eyes, he couldn't follow it. It just seemed to keep going higher and higher.

The mist rose into the sky after it. Fireflies were caught up in the dark currents as it twisted and moved, floating high and away from them, until it disappeared as well.

"Where are they taking him?" Bonnie asked.

/"They" who?/ Matt thought.

Elena was watching the progress, a frown on her face. "Far away. Where he can't do any more harm." When she looked back, the frown was gone.

"It's midnight," she pronounced softly. Matt was surprised to hear that much time had passed already. "And I have to go."

"Where?" Stefan asked.

She looked back at him, and there was a kind of peace on her face. "Somewhere beautiful. Peaceful." She turned her smile on Matt. "Remember what I told you," she said, shaking her finger. "Not for a very long time, Matt."

He nodded, smiling himself. "Not for a while."

Her eyes fell on Stefan again, softening her smile. Matt was afraid for a moment about what Elena's leaving would do to his friend, but he turned to see Stefan smiling just as serenely back at her. Something had changed in Stefan.

"I still love you," he said simply. It wasn't a heart-rending confession, just a statement of fact. Of course, Stefan would always love her. Of that, there was no doubt.

But her death--and her life--wouldn't weigh on him anymore. He was finally letting go of the past.

"Go. Be at peace." Stefan's words were like a benediction on them all, and as they watched, Elena stretched out, turning her face up to the stars. The fireflies were gathering around her body, until she was indistinct amidst their glow. Then the fireflies spread out over the forest.

Her voice was a whisper of bells in the wind. "My last gift to you."

It was followed by gentle tapping, and Matt lifted his face as a soft summer shower rained down on the clearing, putting out the last of the fires and washing away the blood that covered them.

They all stood, letting the soft rain wash over them. Even Caroline joined their group, her steps now strong and steady. The tension of the last week was gone, and soon they were all laughing in the shower. Bonnie caught up Caroline's hand to do a funny sort of dance. Stefan rubbed his hands over his face and chest, scrubbing away the flakes of burnt skin in the light rain. When it finally stopped, they all felt cleansed of the past few weeks. Matt had never felt stronger, or more clear-headed.

Stefan was having an interesting time of it, peeling off the dead skin and burnt clothes. He would have stood naked before the girls if Damon hadn't stepped forward, giving Stefan his jacket to wrap around his waist. Bonnie still blushed and watched from the corner of her eye. Matt finally took pity on the usually shy vampire, and carefully peeled off his now-damp jeans. "With how many of your clothes I've gone through..." he said by way of explanation. He stood shameless in his boxers as Stefan changed, looking a little odd in the too-long jeans and jacket.

Stefan looked up to the sky, clear and shimmering in the late night air. He breathed in deeply. "Thank you," he whispered into the air.

Bonnie stopped her little dance with Caroline to look up at the stars as well. They sparkled in far many more numbers than Matt could ever remember seeing. "She's really gone," she said, with a happy kind of sadness. She was gone, but she was in a beautiful place. Full of peace.

Matt touched Stefan's shoulder, and the vampire tilted his head to the side to look at him. Something quiet and soft passed between them, but they didn't say a word.

Finally, Damon scuffed his foot across a charred rock on the ground. "You're all crazy," he said softly, shaking his head over something. "I'm cold, I'm hungry, and I'm going home." It sounded final, the way Damon said 'home.' He wasn't talking about the boarding house or anywhere else in Fells' Church.

Without further acknowledgement, he hunched his shoulders and started stalking off into the forest. Before he could get too far, Stefan called out to him. "Damon!" The vampire stopped, but didn't turn around. "Thanks."

"I didn't do it for you," Damon snapped. He glanced over his shoulder. "And if you follow me, I'll kill you."

With a shimmer, Damon turned into a crow and flew off into the sky. Towards the east.

"Where have I heard that before?" Matt said aloud. Stefan looked innocent as he gazed back at Matt.

"Is he going to be okay?" Bonnie asked, truly concerned.

Stefan quirked a corner of his mouth at Bonnie, a weird sort of smile. "Yeah. I think so."

"As much as I hate to admit it," Meredith said dryly, "I have to agree with Damon. Can we go home now?"

Caroline looked around at the trees, her face scrunched up in confusion. "How do we get out of here?"

Matt and Stefan stepped forward at the same time, bumping into each other. They shared another look, then led everyone out of the forest together.

****

Everyone had seemed quiet and contemplative on the walk back through the forest, and the mellow mood had followed them out of the trees. Meredith accepted her keys back from Stefan, her hands far more steady now than they'd been outside the mental hospital. Caroline meekly slipped into the backseat, her usual haughtiness mellowed in the events of the past few hours.

Bonnie had to hug Stefan and Matt before getting into the car, her cheeks blushing as she held Matt a little too long. Stefan could barely overhear her whisper something to Matt about it being okay he was a werewolf before slipping away.

Meredith stood by the car for a long moment, staring at the keys in her hand. "You need a ride, Matt?" she asked finally, though Stefan could sense she really wanted to say something else.

Matt glanced at Stefan before shaking his head. "It'd probably be weird to have a girls night out end with a half-naked boy in the car," he replied, referring to the cover story they cooked up for Caroline and the girls. Matt's own mother would have to be content with thinking her son was far too interested in his new girlfriend.

Meredith nodded lightly. She was about to get in the car when she stood up suddenly. "Ow!" She pulled the forgotten silver dagger out of her pocket, where it had migrated on the long walk back. "Here," she said, thrusting the hilt towards the nearest body, which just so happened to be Matt. The metal touched his skin, instantly searing. Matt yelped and jumped back, holding his hand far away. Stefan could see the brilliant red skin blistering already.

The dagger dropped to the ground. "It really does work," she said quietly, with some regret. "I'm sorry, I forgot," she said louder to Matt, though Stefan didn't seem to believe her. He couldn't blame her, though--Tyler's attack and her grandfather's insanity were enough reasons to be leery of immortal creatures. All the better that she be prepared rather than dead.

Matt seemed to forgive her quickly, sadly apologizing himself. She said her goodbyes, which seemed genuinely warm, and left the boys to themselves. Stefan could make out Bonnie's face looking back at them as they drove away.

Stefan picked up the dagger, fingering the metal before slipping it into his back pocket. He had worn silver around his own finger for centuries, and couldn't remember Matt ever shying away from a touch or a fight before. Maybe it was the purity of the metal. Maybe Elena's kiss had left him with more than just restored health. Stefan himself felt strong, stronger than he had felt since... a long time.

Stefan turned to face Matt, shielding his friend from the silver. Matt was shaking out his hand still, but he seemed to be already healing. Stefan wanted to walk over and check it closely, but he was feeling raw from the day, and a little awkward. They'd helped to defeat an ancient evil, Elena was at peace, and yet things seemed unfinished.

"Would you like to come in?" he asked politely.

Matt's hand went to his side. If he'd been wearing pants, Stefan suspected he'd have it hidden in a pocket by now. "I should probably head home."

"Naked?" Stefan quirked an eyebrow at him, eyeing the long, muscled legs under the wet and clinging fabric of his undershorts. "I doubt your mother would approve of Bonnie if you came home half-dressed."

"I wish people would stop saying that."

"What?"

"That I'm dating Bonnie. I don't even think of her like that. Right now, I can't even think of being with--"

"A girl?"

"A /human/," Matt said quickly, glancing weirdly at Stefan. "My first girlfriend dumped me for a vampire, and I haven't dated since. Human or werewolf, I'm not doing too well." Matt covered his chest with his arms. "Let's just go inside."

The door was unlocked, and Mrs. Flowers was thankfully absent, for which Stefan was infinitely grateful. He didn't think he could handle it if she started oogling Matt as well.

The scant amount of clothes he had left at the boarding house last winter were nearly depleted. Stefan gave Matt his sodden jeans back and found clothes for himself. At Matt's wince, he pushed the dagger back into his back pocket and out of the werewolf's site.

Matt picked up his forgotten shirt from the floor and dusted it off on his bare leg, before pulling it over his chest. He held up the wet jeans and pulled a face. "I don't think it'd help to ask if Mrs. Flowers has a dryer, huh?" Matt asked as he reluctantly slipped his foot into the cool, wet denim.

"We're just lucky she has a washing machine. From the last century."

Matt finished pulling the jeans on with some most interesting faces. "Maybe I should just transform and run home quickly. At least I wouldn't have to feel the cold through the fur." Matt stopped with his hands on the zipper. "Huh."

"What?"

"I never thought I'd be comfortable saying that--thinking something like that. Not that I ever thought of being a werewolf before. I mean... shit. I don't know what I mean." He finished fastening his jeans. "I should just get out of here."

"No, wait," Stefan said, leaving his shirt on the bed. "What were you going to say?"

"It's just..." Matt waved his hand around, finally settling on a gesture between the two of them. "Look at us. I'm a /werewolf./"

"Yes," Stefan said carefully.

"You're a vampire."

"Yeeees..."

"And it's okay." Matt laughed a little strangely. "Like Bonnie said, it's okay. I'm okay with it. I could change right now, and I'm okay with it. Isn't that a little weird?"

Stefan arched an eyebrow, ready to reply, but Matt kept going. "Okay, so the whole thing is weird. It's... like you said. Fighting evil with evil. Don't give in. Keep on trying. And I'm babbling now." He slipped a hand into his pocket, fishing around for something.

"Matt..."

"I'm just... worn out right now. It's been a long night. Just drop it, okay?"

"Okay," Stefan gave in. Suddenly, he felt a little battle-worn himself. Not tired exactly. Just... adrift. "You should get home. We can talk later."

"Are you leaving again, soon?"

Stefan was a little surprised by the question. "I... suppose so. I haven't thought that far ahead yet," he had to answer honestly.

"Just don't leave without saying goodbye. To the girls."

Matt seemed flustered, and Stefan impulsively pulled him into a quick but strong hug. He wasn't much for such expressions, but things had changed. "I won't," he said. "I promise."

Matt stepped away, his chin high and his back straight. He looked like he could sleep for two weeks straight, but he was doing his best to remain strong. "Goodnight, Stefan."

Stefan smiled. "Good night." He didn't break eye contact until Matt smiled back.

****

Matt stretched in the cool wind once he was outside. He debated changing into a wolf and running off into the darkness towards home, but he felt oddly reluctant to do so just yet. So much of the evening had been spent fighting for his life; the last thing he wanted to happen was to be shot by someone who thought he was there to eat their cattle.

Were there any cattle around for him to eat? Maybe that's what Tyler had gotten into.

Matt rubbed his forehead, finally setting his feet out on the street. His thoughts were disjointed, getting fuzzy as the minutes put miles between him and the events of the night. He was probably just tired, and the clammy feeling of wet denim on his thighs wasn't helping. Maybe the walk would clear his head enough to let him get a good night's sleep tonight, or what was left of it.

The sky was clear, and the soft moonlight was almost warm on his skin as it passed through the leaves. He stretched his neck, and took in a deep breath, enjoying the arriving summer smells. Flowers and treebuds and copper and fur.

Matt was instantly on alert, his senses sharpening as he turned his head, searching for the source of the smell. Upwind, to the west, just beyond the trees...

He approached carefully, feeling the familiar tingle in his skin as something with Power lay nearby. Had the mist forgotten a bit of Klaus?

A body lay beneath a tree, half-leaning over the thick roots that stretched out around it. It was bloodied, glistening in the moonlight. Matt thought it was dead until a low growl reached his ears.

"Come to finish the job?" Tyler asked, his voice hoarse. He rolled over a little, showing off a large open wound in his back, near his kidneys. More blood spilled out before his hand covered it. "That little fucker could have at least hit me before he ripped that branch out of me. Hurt like hell."

Damon had been wrong. Tyler wasn't dead. But he was close enough to it. That he'd gotten this far in the forest was a testament to just how strong he had become. Matt wisely stayed away from him. "You deserve worse."

Tyler coughed, spitting out something dark into the grass. "Why don't you come closer? It's hard to hear you."

Matt had to laugh. "That line sounded better coming from Klaus. And it still doesn't work."

Tyler pushed himself up a little more, so he was leaning back against the tree. It took a lot of effort, and he was panting shallowly by the time he was sitting upright. It took even longer for him to be able to talk. "So, are you just going to stand there or are you going to kill me, Honeycutt?"

"Maybe I'll just stand here and watch you die, instead."

Tyler laughed. "You're a soft-touch, like your boyfriend. You can't let me suffer. It'd be a mercy to kill me now."

"He's not my boyfriend and I don't want to kill you," Matt snapped.

Tyler leered at him. "Have you killed anything yet, Honeycutt?" There was a thin trail of bloody saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth, and his words sounded wet as he talked. "Sunk your teeth through flesh and tore until bones split, and your prey stopped struggling. Hot blood and cool flesh and so very good..."

"Shut up."

"It's one thing to taste blood in a fight, but something else when your prey gives up that final gasp, gets all weak and soft beneath you as you take it--"

"I said shut up!" Matt yelled. His voice was gruff, and his teeth came down to slice open his lip when his mouth snapped shut. The smell of blood was all over the place, and Tyler's feral scent and deadly words were making the wolf howl within him. He wanted to bite. He wanted to kill. The wolf had been denied his prey earlier tonight, but here it was, weak and loose and begging to be taken.

Tyler stretched out his neck, making it long and vulnerable. He dropped his hand from his side, letting the blood flow. "You don't know what you're missing, Honeycutt. Pretending to be human, just like that... Salvatore. He's weak, and he's making you weaker. You have no idea what you could become."

Matt snarled at Tyler, his claws stretching out with the desire to paw the ground, get a good hold so he could jump. He couldn't find his control as Tyler stared up at him, commanding him to attack.

"I made you. I could show you so many things. How to hunt the humans, take what's yours--take pleasure in it! You and I, we're the exact same. We're the same pack. I made you to be mine."

Matt shook his head, crouching down in the grass. "You tried to eat me."

Tyler wasn't listening. "And then you had to run to that weakling Salvatore. You had to choose him over your own people. You need to be shown who your master is before I make you part of the pack."

Matt stretched, feeling the change taking over his body slowly. "Not... my... master."

Tyler leered at him, his face twisted so that Matt could have sworn he'd seen Klaus there. "Oh yes, I am. You can feel it, can't you? You're mine, and you will obey me."

Slowly, Tyler planted one hand behind him on the tree and began to push himself up. He lurched to one side, but he managed to stand upright over Matt. Matt couldn't react; he was having a hard enough time controlling himself, to keep from turning completely and letting the wolf take over. The wolf wanted to fight and attack and learn whether Tyler was a true alpha, but Matt knew better. With a vicious laugh, Tyler threw back his head and howled to the wind.

Tyler was far strong than any of them had imagined.

***

Stefan felt somewhat at a loss as he stood alone in his room. It seemed big and empty and strange to him. He knew he should probably try to rest, or if not, then think about what he was going to do now, but his mind was racing aimlessly. He paced the room, feeling outwards with his Power. He could still sense Matt in the room, the imprint left after so many hours in the place.

The trap to the widow's walk was open as he passed under it, bringing down a fresh breeze that bathed his face when he looked up. He breathed in deeply.

A wolf howled on the wind. Stefan smiled; Matt must be finally going on his way home. Then a second, more pained howl joined it, and Stefan knew that there was trouble.

***

It hurt worse to fight the change, as bad as it had hurt the very first time. It was like being turned inside out, and it was frightening and unwelcome after being so easy for so long. But Matt had to fight it. He didn't want to give Tyler the satisfaction of giving in.

"I'll teach you to kill. I'll show you everything Klaus showed me." He laughed a little insanely at that, and Matt could see that whatever had been left of the boy he'd known in high school was gone from the crazed werewolf in front of him. He suddenly wanted to find Stefan, to explain to him that whatever Katherine had done was not her fault--Klaus's evil destroyed everyone and everything it touched. She never had a chance.

Matt was beginning to wonder if any of them had a chance. Even far away, in a hundred tiny pieces, Klaus could still destroy them. Matt growled at Tyler, and fought another wave of cramps that shook his frame.

Tyler limped oddly as he started to approach, like a badly reanimated corpse. The wound continued to bleed, dripping down behind him as he staggered forward, but it was barely slowing him down. It seemed that nothing would stop him as he finally stood over Matt, claws slowly extending from his twisted, human hands.

"I can make you join me. A few hours, and you'll be screaming to be my bitch."

A white blur appeared between the trees. Matt felt a cool breeze on his face, the tender touch of a familiar Power at its peak.

"Come any closer," Tyler said without turning away from Matt, "and his head will be on the ground before you touch me." Claws lay across the back of Matt's neck, just barely piercing the skin.

Stefan looked genuinely surprised. Tyler had only ever been a brute, stupid and ineffective without someone else telling him what to do. But it didn't take much for Matt to remember the malicious glee Tyler had taken in setting a lynch mob after Stefan, or inciting a crowd to panic. Klaus had taken a bully and made him into a monster.

"Kill him," Matt growled out. The claws tightened around his spine threateningly, but Matt didn't shut up. "Just kill him."

"Let him go, Tyler," Stefan was saying calmly. "And I might let you live with at least two of your limbs intact."

"You can't have him," Tyler responded, his own voice becoming more wolfish by the syllable. He sucked in a pained breath before continuing. "I made him. We're the same creature."

"He's nothing like you," Stefan returned.

"You fucking vampires, always thinking you're so superior. You have no idea what it's like to really be an animal. To live and breathe like a true wolf. You're too weak to even try."

Matt took advantage of the distraction to elbow Tyler in the side. He could feel the squish of blood around his skin as more poured out of his awful back wound. At the same moment, Stefan sprung. Matt held back a scream as the claws raked the back of his neck, and pushed with all his might. Between the two of them, they toppled Tyler.

Matt fell to his side, still wracked with pain from fighting the transformation. Half-wolf Tyler howled as he grappled with the vampire, swiping and biting. Yellow-red eyes turned to Matt, and an animal whine called out to him, like a brother begging for help. Tyler was injured, and he wouldn't last long. Matt found himself leaning forward...

He recoiled in pain. His hand had landed on the silver dagger. Stefan must have dropped it in the fight. The sharp sting of silver against his skin brought Matt back to himself, pushing back the wolf enough to allow him to think. It didn't take him long to come up with a plan.

Heedless of the pain, Matt wrapped his hand around the ivory hilt and charged into the fray. Stefan and Tyler were rolling over each other, flattening the grass as they snarled into each other's faces. Stefan was holding one of Tyler's wrists with both his hands, keeping the claws away from his face. The other was buried in his hair, holding his neck to the side with what had to be a painfully powerful grip. Over Tyler's shoulder, Stefan met his gaze. Then Matt grabbed the back of Tyler's neck, his fingers tangling in fur, and pulled him back.

Tyler twisted in Matt's hold, coming around to face him as they fell over. Matt could feel Stefan's arm trapped under his body, but he couldn't spare a thought for it. Amber eyes glared down at him. Hot, fetid breath fogged his eyes. Claws started to slide across his skin. Matt tightened his grip on the ivory hilt and thrust the dagger upwards into Tyler's chest.

It was like watching a wax figure melt as Tyler's eyes widened in surprise and the color drained until they were clear, human, and in pain. His face smoothed out, and the fur receded. His body collapsed heavily over Matt's.

Stefan scrabbled out from under the weight of them both, and pulled Matt up and out from under Tyler's body. The movement rolled him over, and Matt could see that Tyler was still alive. The knife was sticking crookedly out of his chest.

"We could... we could have had it all," Tyler whispered, his words sounding wet and slurred.

"Tyler..."

"I would have... made you strong."

"I don't want to be strong. I don't want to hurt anyone."

Tyler wrapped a weak hand around the bloodied hilt. His skin no longer blistered at touching silver. "You've killed..." His head tilted up, the corner of his mouth twitching as if he was trying to smile. "Feels...good... doesn't it?" Then his face went slack, and his hand fell away. Tyler, the wolf, was dead.

"It feels terrible," Matt whispered.

***

Minutes passed. Matt was still staring at Tyler's body, the dead eyes looking beyond him.

"Matt?" Stefan gripped Matt's shoulder and shook him very gently. Blinking, Matt seemed to come back to himself. He looked up at Stefan.

"We have to call the cops. We can't let his family think..."

"We can go to the boarding house--"

"No!" Matt's voice echoed through the silent forest. He took in a breath, then spoke again a bit more quietly. "No. I can't have anyone finding out you're here. They might want to look around... I know a payphone on the edge of town. I can walk it."

"I can drive you. Damon's car is still here."

Matt slowly stood up, brushing off Stefan's attempts to help him. They walked quietly back to the boarding house, where the car sat patiently behind the barn.

They drove to the edge of town, Matt pointing the way to the nearest payphone, but they didn't speak much. Matt got out of the car as soon as it was stopped, but paused before shutting the door.

He bent under the roof to look inside at Stefan. "Thank you."

Stefan closed his eyes and nodded his head, but didn't say anything. He didn't need to.

Matt closed the door quietly, and Stefan drove off before he made the call.

****

By the time the police car arrived with Matt leading the way, all trace of Stefan was gone from the area. They found only a lone body, curled up and bloodied in the starlight.

Matt thought that he would be charged with murder as the police brought him into the station for his statement... until they told him that Dick Carter had been attacked earlier in the day. His body had been torn up so badly that it'd taken them a while to identify what was left of him. There had been bite marks and cuts from what could have been knives, and Tyler's jacket, covered with blood, was left at the scene.

The police marked Tyler's death down as an act of self-defense, calling Matt a hero for being able to fend off the mad killer. No further questions were asked as the police made up their own stories, just as they had with Vickie's death, and Elena's. By the time they were finished, Matt was surprised they hadn't called it suicide.

The sun had already risen by the time Matt was allowed to go home. A police officer drove him home and into the arms of his worried mother. She seemed to be stuck somewhere between pity and anger--at himself or Tyler, Matt wasn't sure. He was too tired to talk or think. He shuffled his way past his siblings and towards the safety of his bedroom. Once he was alone in his room, he quickly fell right to sleep.

****

That evening, Stefan found Matt leaning against Elena's tombstone in the cemetery. Carefully, he eased himself down to sit beside him. Matt's gaze was off in the distance, focused and unwavering. When Stefan followed his gaze, he could see a small grey rabbit foraging in the clover. Matt looked relaxed, casual, as he leaned against the stone, but Stefan could feel the tension in his muscles, the way his eyes never left the small rabbit slowly stretching across the grass to reach for the next tasty plant. The rabbit's feet were brown.

"It's strange," Matt finally said, his voice low enough to not disturb the animal, "but a part of me thinks that rabbit would make a great pet. Just take him home, let the kids fight over who gets to pet him first. And another part of me just wants to sink my teeth into his fur and tear him to shreds." Matt turned his blue eyes toward Stefan, sorrow making them dark. "Will it always be like this?"

Stefan reached out, placing his hand on Matt's shoulder. He squeezed, once, tightly, then let his hand drift off his arm. He tried to smile for his friend, but it wouldn't come. "I don't know."

Matt turned back to his contemplation of the rabbit. It hopped, it chewed, it lived its little life unconcerned that two predators were watching it from several yards away. Slowly, Matt relaxed, his muscles unclenching, until he was leaning against Stefan's shoulder.

"What are you going to do now?" Matt asked quietly.

"I thought I'd go back home, like Damon. See if we can reconcile... and you?"

Matt shifted uncomfortably. The change jingled in his pocket. "I was thinking of taking a vacation. I have some money saved up. I was going to use it for college... but I think that I'd like to take a little trip. See the world." He met Stefan's eyes. "Maybe stop over in Italy for a while." Matt chanced a small smile. "You wouldn't happen to know a good tour guide, would you?"


End file.
